Harder To Breathe
by Kacee
Summary: When Tess exposes her lie to all of the campers, Mitchie runs away to escape the turmoil, but never returns. What has happened to her? And will anyone want to come to her rescue? FIND OUT! WARNING: Contains MAJOR drama. SMITCHIE! NAITLYN!
1. Alone

**_A/N: Hey guys, its Kacee here. :)__ So this is my first fan fiction, please review! Constructive criticisms are welcome, flames are not. I usually prefer to read and review other peoples fan fiction than to write my own, but I decided to give it a go anyway! OK, so this is set about a day after Tess exposes Mitchie's lie to all of the campers. Enjoy :)_**

**HARDER TO BREATHE**

"_I'm going home."_

The statement was bland, yet it had the intended effect. Connie spun around with an exasperated sigh.

"Mitchie, not this again. Camp's nearly over! I'm sure a little tiff with your friends isn't enough to make you want to miss out on Final Jam."

Mitchie avoided her mothers eyes. "They're not my friends."

"Oh Mitchie, this is ridiculous! Why don't you just go over to them and apologize? I'm sure they don't hate you as much as you think."

"They do."

Connie reached out and squeezed her daughters hand. "Honey, you know you should never have lied in the first place."

Mitchie pulled away and buried her face in her hands. "I know."

A sob escaped, and Connie placed a comforting arm on her daughters shoulder as she continued to speak.

"I just wanted to fit in and be popular for once in my life."

Connie looked surprised. "Mitchie, what are you talking about? You are popular! You have lots of friends back home."

Mitchie looked up at her mother with watery eyes. "No I don't! I have one. One friend. That's all!"

She stood up abruptly, and walked out the door, leaving her mother in stunned silence.

* * *

_No one understands me. No one cares._

Her mind was spinning as she marched out the door and broke into a run. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care. She just wanted to escape.

"Mitchie!"

The shout brought her out of her reverie. She stopped running and spun around to face a pair of alarmed eyes. Caitlyn.

"Are you OK?"

"Do I look OK?" Mitchie answered, with a little more venom than she had intended. Caitlyn was her friend after all. The only camper that would still talk to her after what she had done.

Caitlyn bit her lip and shook her head nervously, though her eyes were still brimming with concern.

_She's not concerned,_ Mitchie corrected herself bitterly. _She feels sorry for me. That's all it is. Sympathy. _Fresh tears sprang to her eyes, but she blinked them away. She didn't need anyone's sympathy.

"Where are you going?" Caitlyn whispered tentatively, as though she were afraid Mitchie might crumble into a million pieces if she talked any louder.

Mitchie turned her back on her friend and the campsite. "I don't want to talk, Caitlyn," she replied heatedly, walking away. "I need to be alone."

* * *

_Why did this have to happen? _Shane thought angrily.

He stared out the window of his cabin, wondering the same thing over and over. The scenery did little to distract him from the whirlpool of thoughts contaminating his brain, which he couldn't seem to ignore.

A day had passed since he had found out that Mitchie had lied to him, but he still couldn't get it off his mind. The truth was, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

He had thought she was different, but he had been wrong. She was just like everyone else.

_She only wanted to be friends with Shane Gray the rock star,_ he sighed bitterly. _Not me._

He gazed moodily out of the window once more, but instantly regretted it. A girl with long dark hair was running towards the woods. Shane couldn't see her face, but he didn't need to. He already knew who it was.

Mitchie.

The last person he wanted to see right now.

He turned away from the scene and debated whether to call Nate and Jason, but decided against it. They wouldn't want to hear about his troubles.

He ran a hand through his hair, looking out the window once more as he did so.

She was still there. Talking to Caitlyn.

_It's a wonder she has any friends left,_ Shane thought with a tight lipped smile.

But there was something about her that made him look closer. He squinted harder so he could see her face, and a pang of guilt encumbered him when he saw that she was crying.

He shook it off quickly. _It serves her right_, he told himself. _She doesn't deserve any sympathy, not after what she did. _

* * *

Mitchie shivered and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to protect her from the cold.

_Why didn't I bring a jacket?_ She scolded herself inwardly.

After feeling the ground beneath her and making sure it wasn't damp, she sat down gratefully, and let out a shallow breath.

She'd been running in an emotional frenzy for what seemed like hours, and it was becoming difficult to breathe. She needed a rest.

Darkness was beginning to set in around her, and she didn't have a clue where she was. _Great, Mitchie, just great. _Her thoughts were dripping with sarcasm. _How the hell do you manage to get yourself into these situations? Your asthma's acting up again, it's dark, cold, and you're lost. Perfect. How perfect. _

After the confrontation with Caitlyn, she had wanted to be alone. She had run aimlessly into the forest, not bothering to stick to the path. Her troubled thoughts had defeated her common sense.

It was dark now, and the chill of the night sent goose bumps up her arms.

Regret plagued her mind, and a raspy cough escaped her lips. _What had she been thinking? Running off into the forest like this. _Mitchie thumped the ground in frustration. If only she hadn't acted so stupid earlier, she wouldn't be in this mess. She'd be safe and warm in the cabin, lounging on her bed and thinking about how great the day had been. Ha. She wished.

Mitchie surveyed her surroundings with a sad smile. _Yup, she was definitely lost_. The sweet smell of nature engulfed her from every direction.

She sighed.

There was no use in kidding herself, and hoping that someone would realize that she was missing and come find her. Everybody hated her because of what she'd done.

She brushed a stray tear from her cheek as she remembered how mean she'd been to her mother and Caitlyn earlier. _It's not their fault that everyone hates me, _Mitchie thought with regret. _It's my fault._

Absent mindedly brushing a few leaves from her hair, she made her decision. If no one was going to come rescue her, she'd just have to find her own way home.

Mitchie got slowly to her feet and looked around, before beginning a slow jog in the direction that she had come from. Or at least, she hoped she had come from…

* * *

"Shane! Shane, wake up!"

Shane lazily opened an eye. The person shaking him stopped suddenly and sniffed.

"Caitlyn?" he said, sitting up in surprise. "What the hell are you doing here?" He looked over at his alarm clock and muttered something under his breath. "For God sakes! It's after 11pm!"

He rubbed his eyes and stared up at her grumpily. His expression changed to one of confusion when he realised that she was upset.

"What happened? What's wrong?"

_Why did girls always have to be so emotional?_

Caitlyn wrung her hands together in distress. "It's Mitchie, she's gone!"

"What do you mean, she's gone?" Shane replied sleepily.

"I mean that she ran off into the woods hours ago and she still hasn't come back!" Caitlyn said, worry lines etched plainly on her face.

"What did she do that for?" Shane asked flatly.

Caitlyn let out an annoyed squeak. "That's not the point, Shane! Aren't you worried about her? She's never been late for curfew before, it's just not like her. I know something bad has happened. She could have been kidnapped, or gotten lost, or murdered, or…" Unable to finish the sentence, she burst into tears. _The possibilities couldn't be real, could they?_

Shane looked up at Caitlyn calmly, disguising his concern. Secretly, his heart was racing. _What had happened to Mitchie?_

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Caitlyn," he reassured her, although worry lingered in the back of his mind.

"How can you say that?" She cried in disbelief. "Mitchie's out there somewhere! In the cold, and the dark, with no shelter, or anything! Even if she's only lost, she could catch pneumonia or something! She could die, Shane! And all you can say is _she'll be FINE?!"_

Shane sighed in exasperation._ Boy, this girl was dramatic._

"Caitlyn, you're overreacting. I'm going back to bed." He rolled over and faced the wall. He didn't want to look at her anymore. It was making him feel guilty.

A moments silence followed. Shane continued to stare stubbornly at the wall.

"Shane," Caitlyn spoke cautiously. "I'm sorry. You're right, I overreacted. Will you help me? Please. I know you're still mad at Mitchie for lying to you, but you don't know the real reason behind it. She just wanted to fit in. And she's sorry. She knows she shouldn't have done it, and she's really beating herself up about it. No one will talk to her anymore. Don't you think that's punishment enough?"

Shane squeezed his eyes shut. His emotions were going crazy. He knew he should still be mad at Mitchie for doing what she did, but he couldn't deny it. His anger at her was dissolving. There was just something about her that was special. Even though she had lied, there was still a strong bond between the two of them, stronger than anything he had ever felt before.

And, no matter how hard he tried, he could not block out the vision of Mitchie lying hurt in the forest. A cold shiver ran down his spine.

Finally, he turned and faced Caitlyn. "OK. I'll help you."

* * *

A raspy cough escaped her lips, and her breath came out in short, sharp gasps. _Uh oh. This was not good. _

The pain in her chest was worsening; she was struggling to keep her breathing under control.

Mitchie's eyes widened in panic as she realized that she had left her inhaler on the kitchen bench. _How could she have been so stupid? _Her wheezing was becoming louder, which wasn't a good sign.

Anxiety overcame her. She had never had an asthma attack before. _What was she supposed to do?_

She tried taking deep breaths, but found she couldn't.

Her chest felt like a rubber band had been stretched over it; constricting and becoming tighter and tighter. _Why hadn't she stopped running earlier when her breathing had first became laboured? _Tears streamed down Mitchie's cheeks as she realised the danger of her situation.

Night had fallen, and the sky was pitch black. The gentle moonlight illuminated the ground in front of her; its beauty seemed to mock the helplessness of her situation.

Another cough shattered the forests silence.

She was lost. Still. She had run for hours but had failed to stumble within reach of a path that would lead her back to camp. _Just my luck, _Mitchie thought bitterly.

Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. It was cold, and she was alone. _That's the worst part, _She thought to herself, as she gasped for air.

She was alone.

* * *

**_A/N: Sweet, so that's the first chapter over and done! Please review! I'm new to this so I'd love to know what you thought and whether you think I should continue it or not? So please just click the pretty purple button down the bottom left of the screen, and review. It would mean a lot :) I'll try to update this story soon. Thanks for reading! :)_**


	2. Losing Hope

**A/N: Hello again! Thankyou so much to all those of you who reviewed the first chapter of my story! You guys are so sweet, and inspired me to keep going! To the many of you who favourited it/ added it to story alert, thanks also! Although I would appreciate it if you could review too? :)**** It only takes a few seconds, and I get such pleasure out of reading them even if they****'****re only a few words! You guys make my day, so I hope you enjoy the next part of Harder To Breathe! :)**

**Disclaimer: OK, if the Writer of Camp Rock is reading this, don****'****t panic. I know I do not own any of the characters, they****'****re still all yours, I****'****m just borrowing them for this story. :)**

**Chapter 2**

**LOSING HOPE**

Shane hurriedly snatched his jacket from the back of the chair and draped it over his shoulders. He was still in his pyjamas, but that was the least of his worries at the moment; it was nearing midnight and Mitchie was still missing.

As he checked his appearance in the mirror, Caitlyn tapped her foot impatiently. Shane looked up. He had forgotten she was still there.

Caitlyn shot him a look of pure exasperation. "Shane! What are you doing? It's midnight, Mitchie's missing, and you're worried about how you look?"

Shane forced himself away from his reflection. "Sorry, bad habit," he muttered, as he strode towards the door.

"Coming?" He called over his shoulder.

Caitlyn seemed to be in a trance. Her expression was strangely vacant; she hadn't heard a thing he had said.

Shane frowned and scratched his head. _Must be a girl thing, _he told himself.

"Coming?" He repeated loudly.

Caitlyn jumped and her face resumed the same melancholy expression of a few minutes ago.

"Yeah, coming," she replied slowly, before following him into the night.

* * *

Connie paced backwards and forth in her cabin. She sighed worriedly, and glanced at her watch for what seemed to be the millionth time in the last few hours.

_Nearly Midnight._

She collapsed on the bed, burying her head in her hands.

This was every mothers worst nightmare.

_Where was Mitchie?_

This wasn't like her daughter at all. Mitchie had never stayed out so late without telling anyone. Connie could not shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

_Mothers intuition_, she thought grimly as she looked out the window.

The moonlight gave the ground an eerie glow. She scanned the outskirts of the forest intently for any sign of her daughter.

Nothing.

A pang of anxiety filled her as the truth began to sink in; her daughter was missing. She may never see her again. Connie fought back a sob.

She felt so helpless_. Here she was, stuck in her cabin, while Mitchie lay out in the night somewhere, hurt, or worse_.

Connie winced. It pained her to think about it, but one question bothered her relentlessly: _What had happened to her daughter?_

Her mind was in turmoil, and the chaos of her thoughts soon overwhelmed her.

_What happens if Mitchie never comes back? _

_It'll be all my fault. I should've listened to her more, kept an eye on her. _

_I could have prevented this! _

The events of earlier were still vivid in her brain, but reminiscing only made her even more apprehensive..

* * *

**Flashback (An hour earlier)**

"It's OK, Mrs. Torres, I think I know where she is. I'll go find her."

The look in her eyes was sincere, but Connie knew that Caitlyn had only said that to reassure her. _It had been hours since anyone had last seen Mitchie, how could anyone possibly know where she was now?_

Connie sighed wearily. "Thankyou, Caitlyn. I'll come with you."

Caitlyn shook her head. "No, it's OK, I'll be fine. You should stay here in case Mitchie comes back."

Connie bit her lip doubtfully.

_It was 11pm, and the woods was no place for a fifteen year old girl at night._

Caitlyn saw her hesitate, and hastened to reassure her.

"Mrs Torres, seriously, I'll be fine. It's Mitchie we should be worrying about."

This did little to set Connies mind at rest.

"Caitlyn, I appreciate you wanting to help, but I don't want to be responsible for letting you go off into the forest alone. It's nearly midnight, and you never know what could happen."

Caitlyn was not to be deterred.

"Then I'll take someone with me."

Connie sighed tiredly, but a small smile played at the corner of her lips. _Boy, this girl was determined._

She eyed the young girl briefly, and upon seeing the fiery glimpse in her eye, finally relented.

"Oh, all right. But be careful," she cautioned, as Caitlyn turned to leave.

"I will."

* * *

**End of Flashback**

Connie broke down in tears. She was having deeper regrets now.

_What if something happened to Caitlyn too? She would never be able to forgive herself._

The tears continues to stream down her face, and she made no attempt to brush them away.

_This was all her fault._

* * *

Mitchie's condition was slowly deteriorating; her body shook with every breath.

She was a miserable sight.

She sat with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her hair was tangled with leaves and her face was streaked with muddy tears. Scratches adorned her bare arms, and her wheezing resonated through the forest.

_She needed her inhaler. Desperately. _

Mitchie sucked in a thin breath and looked up wearily.

_But dawn was hours away. And until then, there was no way she could find her way back to camp. _Her eyes had adjusted to the blackness but it was still too dark to see more than a few feet ahead. Another raspy cough escaped her lips and her eyes burned with tears. Mitchie was in no condition to travel; even walking a few steps was difficult. Her breathing had become even more laboured as the night went on, and she was slowly losing hope…

* * *

"Mitchie!"

Shane and Caitlyn explored the forest path, yelling out Mitchie's name in the hopes that she would hear them and respond. So far, with no success.

An hour had passed now, it was well after midnight by the time they stopped for a rest. They were exhausted, and their voices were hoarse from shouting.

Their flashlight was nearly out of battery, which only added to their frustration.

_This was definitely not going to be as simple as they had thought._

"Shane, this isn't working. We're not going to find Mitchie if we just keep looking on the path. She's obviously not here."

"So what do you suggest we do then?"

"Look somewhere else! We've gone up and down this path twice already. It's getting ridiculous."

Shane sighed and ran his hands through his hair, but he knew Caitlyn was right. "Fine. Where else would she be?"

"She's got to be here somewhere. In the forest. Just not on the paths."

"Right. So we'll go off the paths then."

"Right," Caitlyn echoed. "Do you think we should go back and get another flashlight?"

Shane looked down at the feeble light their torch was producing, but shook his head.

"Na, it'll last for another hour at least. That should be enough."

They left the path and continued walking, dodging trees and shrub as they went. Every so often, they would yell out Mitchie's name, but it became less and less as their voices got croakier and croakier.

Suddenly, a shriek pierced the air.

_Mitchie?_

A groan from the ground beside him obliterated this thought.

"Caitlyn! What happened? Are you OK?"

Shane looked concerned as he shone the torch over her. She lay in a crumpled heap, her face twisted in pain.

"My ankle," she gasped. "I tripped on something. I think I twisted it."

Shane knelt down beside her and inspected her ankle carefully.

"It's starting to swell. Can you walk?"

Caitlyn nodded gingerly as he helped her to her feet. "I think so."

However, her face contorted with agony when she placed her weight on it, and Shane grabbed her arm so she wouldn't fall again.

She brushed it aside.

"No, it's OK. I can walk. Let's keep going."

Shane's eyes crinkled in worry, and he shook his head.

"No, you'll only make it worse. Why don't I take you back to Mrs. Torres cabin? You can rest there."

It was Caitlyn's turn to shake her head.

"No, really Shane, it's fine. Just a little sprain. I want to keep going."

"Caitlyn," Shane said warningly. "Don't be stupid. A badly sprained ankle isn't going to help Mitchie. I'm taking you back."

Caitlyn wanted to argue, but Shane looked so determined that she finally relented.

_Bickering wouldn't do any good, anyway._

"Oh fine." She sighed. "But what are we going to tell Mrs. Torres?"

Shane contemplated this as he draped Caitlyn's arm over his shoulder and helped her limp slowly back through the trees.

"I don't know. But if Mitchie's not back by dawn," he said seriously, "I think we should call the police."

This remark seemed to stun them both, and they walked the rest of the way back in silence...

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter was a bit boring, but I needed it all to be said. Please don't lose hope in this story, I guarantee there is a LOT more drama to come! What will happen to Mitchie? Will anyone be able to find her before it's too late? It'll all be in chapter 3!**

**Thanks for reading :) Please review.**

Kacee


	3. Afraid

**

* * *

******

A/N: Sorry this chapter took a while for me to put up! I've been pretty busy lately with school and stuff, but I continued to write as often as I could. So here it is! The third chapter of Harder To Breathe, hope you like it )

Chapter 3

**Afraid**

Connie was roused from her slumber by a knock at the door.

She rubbed her eyes sleepily and sat up, glancing at the alarm clock.

1:43AM

_I must've dozed off,_ She thought, smiling wearily. It _doesn't surprise me with all the excitement that's happened._

Another knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and jolted her back to the present.

As the nights events rushed back to her, she was suddenly alert.

_Her daughter was missing. Could it be?_

Connie leaped out of bed with a sudden surge of energy, and her stomach tingled in anticipation.

_Please be my Mitchie,_ she prayed silently. _Please!_

She twisted the handle and swung the door open.

Her heart sank.

Shane and Caitlyn stood outside.

Connie tried to hide her disappointment with a smile.

"Oh good, you're back. Come inside! It must be freezing out there."

The night was indeed chilly, and dark storm clouds loomed in the sky. A rumble of thunder made them all jump, and Connie ushered the teenagers into the cabin. The silence was tense. They stood awkwardly for a moment, no one wanting to say what they were thinking.

The very thought of it made their insides turn over.

_Mitchie was still missing. _

_What had happened to her? Where could she be?_

The silence was lost when Connie noticed Caitlyn's ankle.

"Caitlyn! What happened?"

"Oh, it's nothing Mrs. Torres. I tripped and I must've twisted it or something. But don't worry, it's alright."

Connie was already kneeling by her side and examining it thoroughly.

"It doesn't look alright to me."

"It looks pretty bad, Caitlyn," Shane agreed. "Maybe we should take you to a doctor."

Caitlyn shook her head. "At two in the morning? No, it's fine. Honestly."

A flash of lightning illuminated the night for a brief moment, and their eyes were all drawn to the window. Another crash of thunder sounded, making Caitlyn shudder.

"All I want to do right now is go back out there and search for Mitchie."

The three were silent for a moment. This was the first time Mitchie's name had been mentioned since the teenagers had returned. When Connie finally looked up, her eyes were brimming with tears.

"No Caitlyn, not with your ankle like that. You'll only make it worse. Besides, it looks as though a storm is coming on, and it wouldn't be good to-"

"That's exactly my point," Caitlyn interrupted stubbornly. "A storm's coming. And Mitchie's stuck out there in this horrible weather! She could be freezing to death as we speak! You're her mother! Don't you want to find her?"

Shane looked at Caitlyn warningly.

Tears were now rolling down Connie's cheeks; it was obvious that Caitlyn's last remark had upset her.

Connie stood up abruptly, and turned her back on the two teenagers. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

_I don't want them to see me like this._

"I'll get you an icepack for that ankle, Caitlyn," Connie said.

And with that, she walked hurriedly from the room, closing the door behind her.

The second she was gone, Shane turned on Caitlyn.

"That was a stupid thing to say."

Caitlyn looked away for a moment before answering.

"I know," She admitted, biting her lip nervously. "I'm just worried about Mitchie."

"We're all worried, Caitlyn." Shane said sombrely.

"It's after two in the morning now." Caitlyn continued restlessly. "Something terrible has happened to her, I know it!"

Rain was now beating a steady rhythm on the roof, distracting the two for a moment. When Shane finally pulled himself away from the window, there was a determined glint in his eye. He turned decisively to Caitlyn.

"I'm going to find her."

"Now?" Caitlyn replied slowly, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

Shane nodded firmly. "I can't stand just sitting here, waiting for something to happen. You're right, someone's got to go out and find her before the storm gets any worse."

Caitlyn nodded in agreement.

"I want to come with you."

"No, Caitlyn, we've already discussed this. Mrs. Torres will be back soon, and she'll see to your ankle. I'll go find Mitchie."

"Alone?"

"Of course. I'll be fine."

A brief silence followed.

"What shall I tell Mrs. Torres?" Caitlyn asked, as Shane stood up to leave.

He hesitated.

"Nothing. Just tell her I've gone to bed. She'd be nervous if she knew I was going out into the storm, and I don't want to worry her."

Caitlyn watched him go with a tingle of unease.

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea._

* * *

Mitchie was huddled beside a tree, thankful for any shelter she could get. Her eyes burned with tears, and she allowed a raspy cough to escape her lips. Every single breath was torture. Her chest felt so constricted, she expected it to burst at any moment. She had no idea what time it was, but she had more important issues to deal with at the moment.

The storm.

Lightning illuminated the night for a brief second, and Mitchie hugged herself tighter. A deep grumble of thunder echoed through the forest, and rain was pounding the ground at her feet. She was soaked through. Her clothes clung to her skin, making her shiver uncontrollably. _This was so unfair. What had she done to deserve this?_

Mitchie sucked in a feeble breath, and leaned back against the tree trunk. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. She clasped her hands together and waited. For what? She had no idea.

Rescue? Daylight?

She hoped they would come soon- b_ecause she didn't know how much longer she could hold on for._

* * *

_**An hour later.**_

Shane was drenched. He sat under a tree, in an attempt to escape the treacherous weather. It was raining harder now. The wind was howling in agony, but it didn't sound anywhere near as miserable as Shane felt.

_I should have listened to Caitlyn, _he realized with a pang of anxiety. _Coming out here was stupid. No one would be able to find Mitchie in this weather. You'd have to be a fool to try._

He put his head in his hands.

_That's me, _he thought with a faint smile. _A fool._

_What was I thinking?_

Shane scrutinized his surroundings, squinting to see through the thick screen of rain.

Nothing was familiar.

_He had no idea where he was._

Apprehension filled him.

_He had come out here to rescue Mitchie, and now he needed rescuing himself. _

He grinned sardonically. _Great, Shane, just great. Real clever of you._

A roar of thunder reverberated through the air, and a bolt of lightning flashed blindingly. Shane looked up. The storm was right on top of him.

He had gone in the opposite direction that he and Caitlyn had went in earlier, but there was still no sign of Mitchie. Shane sighed deeply as he got to his feet, ignoring the weather and continuing his search through the forest.

_He hoped she was OK. _

* * *

"Where's Shane?" Connie asked as she closed the cabin door, icepack in hand.

Caitlyn froze awkwardly. She was terrible at lying.

"Oh, um, he went back to his cabin. To bed. He said he was tired."Connie looked at her suspiciously, but before she could say anything, Caitlyn continued.

"Mrs. Torres, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. About Mitchie. I didn't mean it. I was just worried, that's all. And I'm sure she's fine."

Connie sighed, and gently rested the icepack on Caitlyn's swollen ankle.

"Don't be sorry, Caitlyn. You were right. Something bad must have happened to her, or else she'd be back by now. She's my daughter, and I'm worried too, but we have to wait till daylight. Going out into this storm would be foolish."

Caitlyn avoided Connie's eyes. No one said anything for a moment; they were both lost in thought. Caitlyn hesitated, but finally broke the silence.

"Maybe we should call the police."

Connie looked up into Caitlyn's eyes and nodded reluctantly. "Maybe we should."

* * *

Mitchie could feel her body being drained of energy. She was weak. Daylight was another hour away, and the storm's fury had lessened, but she didn't have the strength to move. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think straight. Her head was spinning.

Mitchie tried to stand, but her knees buckled and she collapsed to the ground like a rag doll.

She sucked in a feeble breath, coughing and spluttering.

_She couldn't hold on any longer. _

The scenery faded before her eyes as she felt herself being swallowed up by blackness.

* * *

**A/N: So that's the third chapter done, thanks for reading. ) A review would make my day! So if you feel that way inclined, click the pretty purple button on the bottom left and tell me what you thought. Any ideas for what you would like to happen next? Tell me! I'd love to hear them. More drama coming in the next chapter, so stay tuned! And thanks again,**

**Kacee )**


	4. No Response

**A/N: Hello again! Here's the next chapter of Harder To Breathe, sorry it took awhile, but thanks to all who have reviewed! You guys are absolutely amazing! I hope you enjoy this :)**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Rescue?**

Caitlyn was becoming increasingly more anxious as the hours dragged by. It was now five in the morning, and Shane still wasn't back with Mitchie.

_Something's happened to both of them, I know it, and it's all my fault._

She glanced nervously out of the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of her friends. Daylight was approaching, but Mitchie and Shane were nowhere to be seen.

Caitlyn twisted her fingers together restlessly.

_At least the storms over, _she told herself. _Oh, God, I hope they're okay._

Caitlyn could feel Connies eyes on her, and she felt a twinge of guilt. _Maybe I should have told her the truth earlier, when Shane first went out into the storm to look for Mitchie. _

_Maybe then we wouldn't be in this mess._

"Mrs. Torres?" Caitlyn began timidly.

_She is going to be furious with me._

"Um, I have to tell you something."

Connie looked at Caitlyn with concern.

"It's your ankle, isn't it dear? It must hurt terribly. But I don't know what else I can do. You'll just have to wait until morning when I take you to the doctor."

Caitlyn shook her head quickly, and gave Connie a weak smile.

"No, it's not that. It's about Shane. Earlier, when he left, he.. um.. didn't go back to his cabin…" She dwindled off into an uneasy silence.

Connie raised her eyebrows, waiting for Caitlyn to continue.

"He.. Well.. He went off to look for Mitchie," Caitlyn finished quietly. She avoided Connie's eyes and waited for the explosion.

It never came. Connie was angry, but she didn't yell. Her voice resonated with forced calm.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

Caitlyn flushed.

"Because I didn't want to worry you. He said he'd be fine by himself, and so I just let him go. I'm sorry."

"He's not back yet either?"

"No," Caitlyn moaned. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. What are we going to do?"

Connie thought for a moment, before replying gravely, "We'll call the police."

* * *

Shane wandered the forest aimlessly. He didn't have a clue where Mitchie was, and although he would never admit it, he didn't have a clue where he was either.

_At least the storm's over, _he told himself, looking up at the sky gratefully.

He ran a hand through his hair, deep in thought.

_When daylight arrived, he would find his way back to camp, and when he had found his way back to camp, he would call the police. Then, a search team would arrive, and they would find Mitchie within an hour. She'd be fine, and they'd all live happily ever after. _

Shane shook his head and looked around him with a sad smile. _As if._

* * *

Morning brought with it a dull glow of sunshine, but not much else. Mitchie was still missing, and Shane hadn't returned either, which caused a great buzz within the camp.

The campers had been awakened earlier than usual, due to the drama of the previous night. They were all assembled on the outskirts of the forest, sleepily awaiting instructions.

"As you know," Uncle Browns voice boomed over the megaphone. "Two of our campers went missing last night. We don't know where they are, but since the Police have refused to do anything until 24 hours have passed, we're going to need all of your help to find them."

"I don't care about finding Mitchie," Tess whispered snidely to Peggy and Ella, yet loud enough for Caitlyn to hear. "But I hope I'm the one who finds Shane. He _deserves_ to be rescued, unlike _her._ Liars can stay lost, for all I care."

Tess tossed her blonde hair and looked over at Caitlyn with a sweet smile. Caitlyn scowled.

_How dare she say that about Mitchie?_

_Oh, the nerve of her! _

_Flicking that stupid blonde hair of hers, she thinks she's invincible. Wait till I-_

"Don't pay any attention to Tess," Connie whispered, interrupting her train of thoughts. "Let's just focus on finding Mitchie."

Caitlyn nodded reluctantly. She was still seething with anger, but she tried to concentrate on what Uncle Brown was saying.

"Everyone will split up into groups of five. The groups will spread out in different directions once we enter the forest. And _stay in your groups. _Is that clear? We don't need any more kids going missing, alright?"

Uncle Browns usual humour had been abandoned in the seriousness of this situation.

_It's his nephew that's missing; of course he wouldn't feel like cracking jokes at the moment, _Caitlyn reminded herself.

She looked away guiltily.

_It was her fault that Shane was missing in the first place. She should never have let him go out into that storm. _

_If they didn't find him, she would never be able to forgive herself._

She stared absentmindedly into the forest depths, willing both of her friends to walk out, unscathed.

After a moment of wishful thinking, Caitlyn sighed wearily.

She knew that it wasn't going to be quite that easy.

* * *

Shane groaned in frustration. _How am I supposed to rescue Mitchie when I can't even rescue myself?_

He was lost. Still.

It was now morning, and he was still wandering the forest, looking for a way out. The daylight made negotiating through the trees slightly easier, but Shane was still not having much luck in finding a path.

He walked rapidly through the forest for the next few minutes, the feeling of irritation growing.

_This was stupid. How could he have gotten lost? They were probably sending out a search party for him by now. How embarrassing! It was broad daylight, yet he couldn't even find his own way back to camp._

Shane shook his head in disgust.

A faint sound caught his ears, and he stopped walking in mid stride.

_What was that?_

He heard it again and looked around, suddenly alert.

It sounded close.

He squinted through the dense canopy of leaves where he thought the noise had come from.

_Probably campers searching for me,_ he thought. His curiosity finally got the better of him, and he zigzagged through the trees, until he emerged in a small clearing.

Shane glanced around expectantly.

There was nothing there.

He couldn't help but feel disappointed.

_That might've been my ticket out of this place._

He listened carefully for any sound, but the forest maintained it's silence.

_Damn!_ He thought crossly.

As Shane spun around to leave, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye.

A flash of red.

He heard the sound again, and his heart began racing.

This time, he knew what it was.

Breathing.

But something wasn't right.

Shane walked haltingly towards the sound, a perplexed frown upon his face.

The breathing sounded laboured. It was loud and rasping, almost as though the person was struggling to breathe. He broke into a run, and he felt his heart stop when the flash of red he had seen a minute ago came into full view.

Shane froze.

A fragile figure lay motionless on the ground. She was alive, but her chest rose and fell with rattling gasps. Her dark hair was tangled with leaves, partially covering her face; but Shane had no difficulty in recognizing her.

He rushed forward and collapsed to his knees beside the body, fear rising up inside him. With shaking hands he brushed the hair from her face, and stared with glassy eyes at the pained expression reflected back at him.

"Mitchie," he whispered desperately.

Yet he knew that there would be no response.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Chapter 5 coming shortly, so stay tuned! It's my birthday today, and there's nothing that would make me happier than you posting a review! Even if it's only one word, I don't care! Seriously I love them, so just do it :)**

**Kacee**

**:)**


	5. A Question Of When

_**A/N: Ok, first of all, I have to say to everyone who has reviewed this story that you are absolutely incredible! Your reviews have made me so so so happy! No kidding, each new review makes me bounce up and down in my seat, lol, I know I'm weird, but I get that excited when I read them. ****:)**_

_**And WOW, I wish it was my birthday every day! I got so many reviews for that last chapter, and so many of you guys wished me a happy birthday, I felt so happy (Like crazy insane happy! ****:)****). That was seriously the BEST birthday I've EVER had! And it was largely thanks to you guys and your reviews, so thank you so much! **_

_**Anyway, my apologies for taking longer than I thought to update. (I seem to say that every chapter!) I had a bit of trouble deciding the plotline for this one, there are just way too many possibilities! Like, shall Mitchie die, or shall she live? Or shall they get abducted by aliens, or shall they not? Etc, etc.. ****:) Haha,**** na just kidding! That's not going to happen. But enough of me rambling on ****:)**** Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing. ****:( ****Sad, but true..**_

* * *

Chapter 5

A Question Of When

The shrill ringing of the phone brought Dee out of her reverie.

_Maybe it's news about Shane and Mitchie, _she thought hopefully to herself as she snatched it from the cradle. _Maybe they've been found!_

"Hi, you've reached Camp Rock, this is Dee speaking."

"Oh, hi Dee, it's Nate."

"And Jason!" A voice chimed in from the background.

She tried to hide her disappointment with a smile.

"Oh, hey boys, what can I do for you?"

"Could you put Shane on for us please?" Nate asked after a moment. "We've tried his cell phone, but he's not picking up."

Dee was silent. A million thoughts were running through her mind.

_Nate and Jason didn't know that Shane was missing?_

_What was she supposed to say?_

_Should she tell them?_

"Dee? You still there?"

"Wakey wakey!" Jason exclaimed innocently. "I think she fell asleep," he whispered to Nate, who rolled his eyes and said nothing.

Dee cleared her throat and feigned cheerfulness.

"No, no, I'm still awake Jason. I guess I was in fairyland for a moment, just thinking about things, you know?"

Jason nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I go there sometimes too. It's a nice place, isn't it?"

"Look, this is kind of important, Dee." Nate interjected before Jason could continue. "Is Shane there?" He shot Jason a stern look.

Dee adjusted her grip on the phone and took a deep breath before replying.

"Um, no, he's not here at the moment."

"Oh, okay. Where is he?"

Dee sighed.

"Look, I don't know if I should be the one to tell you this."

"Tell us what?" Nate replied slowly.

"Ooooo! A secret!" Jason cried, his eyes widening in delight. "Tell us Dee! I love secrets!"

_Not this secret, you won't, _Dee couldn't resist thinking. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked out of the window. The searchers were just disappearing into the forest.

_Should she tell Nate and Jason that Shane was missing?_

_They'd probably be furious with her if she didn't. _

_But there wasn't any need to worry them about it, was there?_

Her conscious finally got the better of her, and she quietly informed the two boys of what had happened to their third band mate. Nate listened intently, and was stunned into silence by the time she had finished. Jason scratched his head in confusion.

"So, can we talk to him, then?"

Dee sighed in exasperation. _There was something not quite right about that boy._

"Jason, I just told you. Shane is missing. You can't talk to him, because nobody knows where he is."

"Nobody knows where he is?" Jason repeated blankly.

Nate frowned and finally broke his silence.

"We'll be there as soon as we can."

* * *

Caitlyn limped through the forest, muttering under her breath. She was not in a good mood.

_Why had she been stuck in a group with Tess? Talk about unfair! Of all the people she despised, Tess had to be top of her list._

"Stupid bimbo," Caitlyn muttered angrily, cursing under her breath.

She looked up moodily.

The girl in question was strolling leisurely through the forest, with Ella and Peggy close behind her.

"Shane!" Tess was calling loudly. "Sha-ane! Where are you?" The sound echoed through the tree's.

Caitlyn scoffed. "As if he'd answer _you._ If Shane heard you calling, he'd probably run for his life."

Time froze.

Tess stopped walking and turned to face Caitlyn with her eyes narrowed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Before Caitlyn could reply, Connie bustled up behind them.

"That's enough girls. We're not going to find Mitchie and Shane if we stand here chatting all day, are we? Come on, lets go."

She continued walking along the path and beckoned Caitlyn, Tess, Ella and Peggy to follow.

Tess smirked as she stepped forwards, purposefully treading on Caitlyn's foot.

"You better watch your step, Caitlyn," she said warningly.

Ella and Peggy exchanged nervous glances, but Caitlyn didn't move.

"Is that a threat?" she asked. Her foot was throbbing, but she wasn't going to give Tess the satisfaction of knowing that she had hurt her.

Tess smiled, feigning innocence.

"Of course not," she replied sweetly, but her eyes suddenly darkened. "Just a bit of advice."

Caitlyn let out a hollow laugh and turned away, although she was far from amused. Trying not to put too much weight on her sore ankle, she hobbled down the path after Connie.

_It's Mitchie and Shane I should be worrying about,_ she reminded herself in frustration, but she couldn't seem to get Tess's warning off her mind.

* * *

Tess yawned loudly and twirled her blonde hair with her fingers.

"This is boring. Why do we have to be in groups anyway? It's a stupid idea," she drawled spitefully. "I'd rather be trapped in a lion's den than spend the rest of the day with _Caitlyn."_

She paused for a moment, considering this.

"Although I guess it's kind of the same thing, isn't it? I mean, seriously, she's been so grumpy lately, I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to bite my head off." Tess let out a tinkling laugh and looked at Peggy and Ella, as though waiting for them to agree.

"Well?" She said in annoyance. "Don't you think she's weird?"

"I think she's just worried about Mitchie," Peggy said, uncomfortable under Tess's gaze.

Ella nodded her head solemnly.

Tess rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Sometimes, I don't even know why I'm friends with you two. I'm going to find Shane on my own, and none of you will get _any _of the credit for it."

Without waiting for a reply, Tess turned on her heel and strutted into the forest.

_He'll be forever in my debt,_ she thought to herself with a smile, loving the idea that if she found Shane, she could con him into doing anything that she wanted.

_But it's not a question of __if__, _Tess corrected herself casually. _It's just a question of __when__. _

* * *

Shane couldn't disguise the feeling of panic that was swelling up inside him. He looked down at the fragile body in front of him.

_At least she's still alive._

He tried to reassure himself, but in vain; Mitchie's ragged breathing had reawakened all of his fears. Her chest rose and fell with rattling gasps, and her face was twisted in pain. She was alive, but only barely.

His eyes widened with fear. He had no idea what to do.

_I'm too afraid to move her. What if it makes her worse?_

Shane sighed worriedly, and took her hand in his. It was cold to the touch, yet he gripped it tightly.

_But I can't just leave her here. I've got to get her to a hospital. She needs medical attention. _

"Mitchie?" Shane said hesitantly. He leant over her, so that he was just centimetres from her face.

"Mitchie!" He whispered, desperation obvious in his voice. "Mitchie, come on! Please wake up!"

He squeezed her hand tightly, and smoothed her hair back from her face. His touch was tender.

Shane lightly caressed her palm, praying that she would wake up.

Minutes passed. The forest was silent, apart from the sound of Mitchie's laboured breathing.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. Her expression pained him. Seeing her in such agony made his stomach turn over. He opened his eyes. They lingered on her face for what felt like an eternity; he couldn't bring himself to look away. Shane acted on impulse.

He leant forward and kissed her.

A gentle peck on the lips, fuelled by a sudden desire that was beyond his control.

A sudden noise shattered the tender moment.

His heart thumped rapidly as he drew backwards and looked around.

_What was that?_

But a dense screen of trees surrounded them from all sides.

Shane glanced around uneasily, but the forest seemed frozen.

Nothing moved.

Shane placed a protective hand on Mitchie's shoulder.

_That wasn't a natural sound._

There was somebody there.

* * *

**_A/N: Sorry! Haha I couldn't resist leaving you with another cliffy! It's evil I know, keeping you all in suspense till the next chapter. :) I know I promised a few of you that this chapter would be longer, and I honestly intended it to be. But what I had planned would have taken ages to write, and I really wanted to post another chapter today, so I decided to split it into two parts. Next part should be up in a couple of days, so stay tuned! Thankyou so much for reading! :)_**

**_PS: You know what would be AMAZING?! If you could click on the little Go button down the bottom left and review! It would be so cool if we could get the review count up to 100! I would probably scream with happiness! LOL, yes, I love them that much!_**

**_Much thanks!_**

**_Kacee_**


	6. Revenge Is Sweet

**_A/N: Hello again! A new chapter, as promised! _**

**_YAY! Over a hundred reviews!! You guys ROCK! :D I absolutely love you! _**

**_Also thankyou so much to the person who nominated this story for the camp rock awards! I was like O M G! :D I don't know who did it, but whoever it was, virtual cupcakes to you!! :D_**

**_Hope you enjoy this chappie cause I had heaps of fun writing it! Even though it took me a while to figure out what would happen.. But still! LOL :)_**

**_My imagination was running over time today, so now i have all these crazy ideas for the next chapter haha!! Beware! :)_**

**_But enough about me! Lets get on with the story! I promise, it's a LOT more interesting!! :D_**

Disclaimer: I STILL don't own anything! How terribly depressing, I know, but you get used to it. :D

* * *

Chapter 6

**Revenge Is Sweet**

Tess slunk back into the shadows. She squatted behind a tree, breathing deeply.

_I can't believe what I just saw. Shane and.. Mitchie?_

The thought was sickening. But she had seen it with her own eyes. He had kissed her. _Her._

She was furious.

_I'm supposed to be the one that Shane falls in love with! _

She kicked the tree trunk angrily. A dull thud resounded in the air.

_What does he see in Mitchie? I mean, sure, she can sing, but she's not even pretty! She has nothing on me._

Tess peeked out from her hiding spot and saw Shane looking around in confusion.

He had heard her.

She froze for a second, not daring to move.

_Please don't look this way, _she prayed silently.

He would spot her instantly if he did- the hot pink top she was wearing stood out shockingly against the green of the forest.

And she didn't want to be seen yet; the time wasn't quite right.

An idea was forming in her mind.

It was clever, very clever.

The very thought of it made her heart race with adrenaline.

As Tess slowly retreated back through the screen of trees, she took a deep breath to calm herself down.

_Okay. Minor setback. I didn't expect to catch Shane kissing Mitchie, but at least I found them, right? This was just the beginning of it all, and soon, the fun would begin._

She smiled wickedly and twirled her blonde hair through her fingers.

_Mitchie was going to pay._

_And boy, was revenge going to be sweet._

* * *

Caitlyn sat on the forest floor, tapping her finger's impatiently. Connie was bent over her, carefully examining her ankle, while Peggy and Ella stood on either side, watching with concern.

"Connie, it's fine, seriously," Caitlyn said irately. "Can't we just keep going?"

Connie sighed at the girl's obvious impatience.

"Caitlyn, your ankle's getting worse. If you keep going like you have been for the past hour, you're going to do it some serious damage."

Peggy spoke up.

"We can take her back to camp, Mrs. Torres. She can rest for a bit, and then we can come back and keep searching."

Caitlyn shook her head stubbornly.

"No way. I'm not going back to camp until we find Mitchie and Shane."

"Caitlyn," Connie said warningly. "Don't be ridiculous. That's-" She paused suddenly at the sound of footsteps approaching.

_Who could that be?_

Brown emerged through the tree's, and smiled when he saw the little group.

"Ello Connie! Girls," He nodded in greeting. "I thought I heard voices. Listen, I believe we might have found Mitchie and my nephew."

"What?" Caitlyn gasped. "Really? You found them?"

Brown shook his head.

"Not yet, love. But Tess Tyler has just told me that she thought she heard voices calling for help over on the far side of the forest."

"Oh my," Connie whispered, after a moment of stunned silence. Her eyes shone hopefully.

_Could it be?_

Ella spoke up.

"If they were calling for help, that means they're OK, right?"

Peggy glanced sideways at her friend and raised her eyebrows.

"Ella, honestly! The idea's you come up with are ridiculous. If they're calling for help, they're obviously not OK."

Ella blushed.

"No, I meant, that they mustn't be seriously hurt, or anything, if they can call out." She turned to Brown for confirmation.

"Right?"

"That's right, my dear. Very insightful of you."

Ella smiled, failing to notice the blatant sarcasm. Brown had clearly got his sense of humour back.

Caitlyn sighed, feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

_Her friends had been found!_

However, there was one thing that was still bugging her.

"Brown?" She asked hesitantly. "If Tess heard voices shouting for help, why didn't she go to help them? Why did she come to you?"

He frowned thoughtfully, as though realizing this for the first time.

"I don't know, love. You'll have to ask Tess."

He suddenly spied Caitlyn's ankle, which had swollen dramatically since morning.

"Let's go," Caitlyn said quickly, before he could say anything about it. She had had enough sympathy to last her a lifetime.

Ella gave her a hand up, and they began walking in the direction that Brown had pointed. For some reason, nervous butterflies flurried in their stomach's.

"Shane and Mitchie, here we come," Peggy said quietly, as they disappeared further into the forest's depths.

Ella giggled uncertainly, and Caitlyn managed a weak smile, despite the pain her ankle was causing her.

Connie stopped and turned around. "Aren't you coming?" she called to Brown. He was just vanishing into the tree's on their left.

He paused and glanced over his shoulder.

"I'll be there in a minute. Got to tell the other groups to stop searching, haven't I? They'd probably be out here all day otherwise! Seem's a bit pointless, searching for something that's already been found, doesn't it?"

Connie nodded, and turned to follow the three girls.

She prayed that he was right.

* * *

The limo drew up smoothly. Two boys leapt out and hurried towards the cabin where they knew Dee would be waiting.

She met Jason and Nate at the door.

"The other's are all out in the forest, searching for Shane and Mitchie."

Her voice lacked lustre; there was none of the vibrancy that was usually present.

"OK, thanks Dee," Nate said, glancing in the direction she had pointed. A sense of fear washed over him. He grabbed Jason's arm and tugged him across the grass towards the forest.

"Hey, Nate! Let go! That hurts," Jason cried out, his eyes widening in pain. Nate released his grip, mumbled an apology and quickened his pace. Jason rubbed his arm, and hurried to catch up, frolicking along beside Nate.

Dee watched them go sadly. She wanted to be out there too, to help look for Shane and Mitchie. But Brown had told her to stay here, in case they came back.

She sighed.

_Probably sensible,_ she thought reluctantly, as she returned inside the cabin to wait.

* * *

Shane was still uneasy. He was positive that someone had been there earlier, and had seen him kiss Mitchie.

_But if that was true, why didn't that person help us?_

His thoughts were in disarray.

_It just didn't make sense._

A violent cough escaped Mitchie's lips, and Shane scanned her face quickly, hoping to see some sign that she was regaining consciousness.

Nothing.

Her breathing was just as laboured as earlier, and her face was devoid of all colour.

Shane reached out a hand and gently caressed her forehead.

Suddenly a yell pierced the air.

_Someone was in trouble._

Shane leapt up, grudgingly releasing the tight hold he had on Mitchie's hand. He looked wretchedly at the feeble figure before him, reluctant to leave her alone for even a minute.

The voice sounded again, and he forced his eyes away from Mitchie, hurrying off in the direction of the noise.

_Were they about to be rescued?_

He doubted it.

_By the sound of things, the person he had just heard was the one who needed rescuing._

A figure loomed ahead of him.

_How ironic was that?_

* * *

Tess could just make out Shane in the distance.

_Perfect,_ she thought happily. _Let the games begin!_

As he steadily drew closer to her, she put her acting skills to good use.

She let out a restless moan and let her body fall to the ground.

Tess writhed and squirmed, shrieking in discomfort. The footsteps quickened. She felt a hand clasp her arm, and shake her violently.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Shane asked, bending over her. "Are you OK?"

Tess melted under his intense gaze.

"I don't feel so good," she said quietly.

He nodded.

"You don't look very good either."

Her eyes met his, and she pretended to recognize him for the first time.

"Oh, Shane! Is that you? Thank God! I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Yeah," he said, smiling weakly. "You're Tess, aren't you? TJ Tyler's daughter?"

She nodded, but stiffened suddenly, letting out another slow moan.

"What's wrong?" Shane asked quickly.

"I've been sick," Tess said unhappily. "But I wanted to help search for you, so I came out anyway. Everyone told me not to, but I insisted."

"There's more people searching for us?" Shane said sharply.

"Well, for you, yes," Tess replied with a twisted smile.

_It was technically true. People were still searching, they were just all on the other side of the forest. She had felt a twinge of guilt about lying to Brown about Shane and Mitchie's whereabouts, but it was the only way her plan would work. She couldn't have the other campers finding them first and ruining it for her._

"Tess!"

Shane was shaking her.

"Tess!"

She gazed into his eyes.

"I don't think I have the strength to go for help," she whispered dramatically. "I've been feeling sick all night, but all this searching has made it worse. I'm sorry," she sighed feebly. "I guess we'll just have to wait for rescue. It could be hours, or days even, and I don't know if I'll make it through the night."

Shane looked at the girl suspiciously. She didn't look that bad to him. Certainly nowhere near as sick as Mitchie was.

"Where are the searchers? Can't we just yell for help?" He asked her hopefully.

He really did not want to go off and leave Mitchie alone.

_Who knows what could happen?_

Tess was slowly shaking her head.

"No, they wouldn't hear us, this forest is a lot bigger than you think. But I'm sure if you just walked a bit, you'd come across them pretty quickly."

It was Shane's turn to shake his head.

"No. I can't leave Mitchie," he said firmly.

"I'll look after her," Tess told him. "She'll be fine with me."

Shane hesitated. There was something about Tess that he didn't trust.

Tess saw the uncertainty in his eyes. She clutched her stomach tightly, shrieking in pain.

"Ow! It hurts!"

Shane sighed and reluctantly stood up.

"OK, OK, I'll go. Promise you'll look after Mitchie for me?" He asked her seriously.

Tess nodded, and batted her eyelashes.

"Promise," she replied innocently, watching the back of the retreating figure until he vanished into the tree's.

_Oh, I'll do more than look after her, _she thought to herself with a malicious smile.

Her eyes darkened.

_You can bet on that Shane Gray._

* * *

**_A/N: Dun dun dun!_**

**_Ooo, what will happen next??_**

**_Find out soon!_**

**_A review would make my day, no, make my year, in fact! Pretty please?? :D_**

**_I would love to know what you thought of this chapter, and any idea's on what you think will happen next? Or what you'd like to happen, like what you think Tess should do to Mitchie?_**

**_  
She is such an evil cow! Tess, obviously, not Mitchie. _**_**:D Don't you agree??**_

_**Well I best be off, but THANKYOU SO MUCH FOR READING! :D**_

_**Hugs,**_

_**Kacee**_


	7. Empty

**_A/N: Hey all! This is my longest chapter yet, it took me so long to write! But thanks for all the reviews, you guys are absolutely amazing! I love you all! I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)_**

**_Disclaimer: I own Nothing. :(_**

* * *

Chapter 7

Caitlyn's eyes scanned the forest wildly.

_Maybe they had all made some mistake. Maybe they had missed something._

But she knew they hadn't. There was nothing here.

Nothing.

No sign of either of them.

She sighed dejectedly and turned to walk in the other direction. There was no point in continuing any more.

They had combed the whole far side of the forest for Shane and Mitchie, but to no avail.

Caitlyn frowned in frustration.

_Tess told Brown she heard voices over here, calling for help. So where were Shane and Mitchie?_

It didn't make sense.

Suddenly, she had a horrible thought.

_How do we know Shane and Mitchie were even here in the first place?_

She tried to block out the annoying voice in her head, but it only increased in desperation; she couldn't ignore it.

_All we have is Tess's word for it._

Caitlyn sighed. She knew this was true, but she still didn't want to believe it.

_Why would Tess lie? What would she gain from getting us all away?_

This was getting interesting.

She frowned, deep in thought.

_Maybe she's just playing a prank on us, having a bit of a laugh._

Another idea crossed her mind.

_Or maybe she wants to find Mitchie and Shane, and then take all the credit for it herself._

Caitlyn bit her lip.

_But that couldn't be true. Tess hated Mitchie; She didn't give a damn about finding her, she had said so herself._

Her heart began to thump rapidly. An unpleasant sensation consumed her, making her stomach tingle.

_Mitchie and Shane are in trouble._

She couldn't explain why she knew it, she just did. It was an instinctive feeling.

Caitlyn took a deep breath and ran as fast as her sore ankle would allow her.

She was oblivious to the puzzled shouts from behind her. Her mind was focused on finding Shane and Mitchie.

_I've got to get to them before Tess does._

It gave her goose bumps just thinking about it. She had no idea what Tess was planning to do, but whatever it was, she knew it wasn't going to be pleasant.

* * *

"I'll give you a race, Nate!" Jason cried enthusiastically.

He grinned, skipping to keep up with Nate's pace.

"Hey, that rhymes! Race, Nate!" Jason giggled, and looked at Nate for approval.

Nate shook his head.

"No it doesn't," he replied in frustration. "And no, Jason, I'm not in the racing mood at the moment."

Jason looked crestfallen.

"Please, Nate? You promised!"

"No I didn't!"

Nate regretted his words when he saw Jason's hurt expression. He stopped walking and touched Jason's arm.

"Look, Jase, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so short with you, it's just.. Well.. I'm worried about Shane."

Jason brightened a bit.

"Don't worry, Nate! I know just what you need!"

Nate stared at his band mate with obvious confusion.

"What?"

"A hug!" Jason cried, throwing his arms around Nate and squeezing him tightly.

Nate looked surprised, but hugged him back nonetheless.

"Thanks, Jason," he said with a small smile when Jason finally released him.

"Can we race now?" Jason replied, bouncing up and down with excitement.

Nate sighed, and nodded reluctantly.

"I guess so. But only if-"

"GO!" Jason shouted merrily.

"Hey!" Nate called, as Jason sprinted off through the trees.

"Jason, wait!"

* * *

Caitlyn hobbled through the forest, mumbling under her breath.

_How could they have been so stupid? This had all been a trick, a wild goose chase to stop Shane and Mitchie from being found._

Anger coursed through her veins.

_What the hell was Tess playing at? Why did she lie to Brown about hearing voices on the far side of the forest? _

_It was obvious that we'd find out she wasn't telling the truth sooner or later._

A little voice in her mind spoke up.

_But maybe it's already too late._

Caitlyn shook her head furiously. She didn't want to think about it. Her ankle was aching; she knew she should be resting, but she had to find Shane and Mitchie before Tess did.

As she rounded a tree, she spotted an approaching figure. But by then, it was already too late.

_**Wham!**_

The impact threw her backwards with such force that all the breath was knocked out of her.

She lay on the ground for a second, breathing hard.

_Today is really not my day._

"Oh my God. Are you OK?"

Caitlyn opened her eyes. A boy of about her age was bending over her, touching her arm with concern. His curly brown hair fell over his eyes, but she could still feel his intense gaze.

She recognized him instantly.

"Nate?" She murmured in surprise.

Oh my God. Nate from Connect 3!

"What? What happened?"

Nate looked over at Jason sternly.

He helped Caitlyn up and they both watched as Jason picked himself up from the ground, rubbing his head sheepishly.

"Oopsy, my bad. Me and Nate were having a race. I was going super fast, and I knocked into you when you came round that tree."

He gave Caitlyn a weak smile.

"Sorry. But hey, on the plus side, I think I won!"

Nate rolled his eyes, and looked over at Caitlyn.

"Are you OK? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Caitlyn gave a small smile and shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

A sharp jolt suddenly shot through her ankle. She winced, her face twisting in pain.

Nate touched her shoulder, worry plainly visible on his face.

"What's wrong?"

Caitlyn bit her lip.

"Nothing. It's just my ankle, I think I sprained it or something."

Jason's eyes widened.

"Oh no!" He cried, enveloping her in a giant bear hug. "I'm sorry!"

"Jason, get off her, she can't breathe!" Nate said in alarm, trying to tug Jason towards him.

Jason finally let go, his eyes wide with innocence.

Caitlyn laughed.

"You're a meanie Nate!" Jason told him grumpily. "It was just a hug! Hugs make everything better."

"Sorry," Nate whispered to Caitlyn. "He has a thing with hugs."

Caitlyn giggled.

"Hey, it's OK," she replied genuinely, turning to leave.

"Wait! I don't even know your name," Nate said, grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face him again.

"It's Caitlyn," She said with a smile.

"I'm Nate," he replied.

"I know."

Their eyes met. For a brief moment, they were drawn to each other, mesmerised, unable to look away.

"I'm Jason!" Jason shouted eagerly, shattering the special moment.

An awkward silence followed.

"Where are you going?" Nate finally asked Caitlyn.

Caitlyn groaned as she remembered.

_Tess_, she thought angrily._ I've got to find Shane and Mitchie before Tess does._

The memories of that day stung her like a slap in the face.

Nate was watching her nervously.

She realized that she must look like a complete idiot, standing there with her mouth open.

She quickly closed it, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

"I've got to find Shane and Mitchie," she told him. "I've got to find them before Tess does!"

"Why? Is it like a competition, or something?"

"No, it's worse than that. Look, I'll explain on the way, alright?"

"Uh, OK.."

Nate paused for a moment, undecided.

_Should he go with her?_

His curiosity finally got the better of him.

He sighed and followed Caitlyn through the trees, with Jason frolicking close behind.

* * *

Shane walked rapidly through the forest, intent on finding the searchers as quickly as he could.

_The sooner Mitchie gets help, the better,_ he thought grimly to himself, with a worried glance back over his shoulder.

_Tess better be looking after her…_

* * *

Tess looked around nervously as she entered the clearing. She didn't have much time.

A sly smile spread across her face when she spotted Mitchie. She was lying motionless on the ground.

Tess strutted over confidently, but her brashness melted when she noticed Mitchie's shallow breathing.

She froze, her eyes on Mitchie's face. It was deathly pale, and her entire body was shaking uncontrollably.

Tess frowned, her eyes narrowing.

She was silent for a moment, deep in thought.

_So Mitchie's unconscious. Why didn't Shane tell me?_

She twirled a strand of blonde hair around her finger nervously.

_What should I do?_

A sudden noise made Tess jump. She cursed under her breath.

_I've got to keep going_, she told herself, glancing around uneasily. _I've got this far; I can't stop now._

She had made up her mind. With a flick of her hair, she grabbed Mitchie's hands and began dragging her across the ground. The chill that ran down Tess's spine only made her pull harder.

_I can't believe I'm doing this,_ she thought to herself. _But it serves her right._

_After what I'm about to do, Shane is going to regret ever having kissed Mitchie._

She smiled cruelly, her confidence building.

_He was going to regret it **big time**._

* * *

"Hello?" Shane called loudly. "Is anyone there?"

Silence greeted him.

_Great,_ he thought sarcastically to himself, shoving his hands in his pockets. _Just great_.

_We're never going to get out of here._

A muffled sound interrupted his thoughts; Shane looked up sharply.

"Hello?" He yelled, squinting through the trees.

He could just make out a faint silhouette in the distance.

_Come on, please be rescue,_ he prayed silently, running a nervous hand through his hair as he walked towards it.

"Shane!" A dim voice shouted.

Shane's eyes brightened.

_Could it be?_

Adrenalin rushed through him.

With long, loping strides, he raced towards the distant sound.

* * *

"Shane!" Nate yelled, watching the approaching figure intently.

_Could it be?_

"What!" Caitlyn said in disbelief. "Are you serious, Nate?"

She looked in the direction Nate was pointing in and uttered a small scream.

"Oh my God! It is!"

Jason began running through the tree's towards his band mate.

"Shaney!" He yelled with joy, leaping into Shane's surprised arms.

For a brief second, Caitlyn remained still, stunned at having found Shane at last.

When the shock wore off, she began jumping up and down with excitement, flinging her arms around Nate and clutching him tightly. Out of nowhere, silent tears began to stream down her face. Nate pulled away and looked at her in alarm.

"Hey, don't cry. It's OK, we found him, Caitlyn. We found him."

This only made Caitlyn cry harder.

"I'm sorry," she finally choked, trying to wipe away her tears. "I don't know what's come over me. I'm not usually like this. I guess.. it' s just that, this whole day has been so overwhelming.. I.. I dunno," She finished lamely, looking up at Nate with watery eyes.

He reached out and squeezed her hand comfortingly.

"It's alright, Caitlyn. Don't worry about it, OK?"

Nate brushed a stray tear from her cheek, making Caitlyn blush.

He smiled.

"Now, come on. Lets go see Shane."

He grabbed her hand and helped her limp over to join the happy reunion that was now taking place.

* * *

Shane watched Nate and Caitlyn as they came towards him.

They were holding hands, and Caitlyn was still limping. Shane could see that her face was streaked with tears, but he didn't ask; he just strolled over and enveloped both of them in a hug.

"Boy, am I glad to see you guys," he breathed happily.

"Aw, group hug!" Jason said gleefully, attempting to throw his arms around all of them at the same time, but not quite managing it.

They broke away laughing.

"We're glad to see you too," Caitlyn told Shane, speaking for all of them.

Nate nodded, and Shane grinned.

"Where's Mitchie?" Caitlyn asked.

Shane's smile quickly faded.

"Mitchie's back there with Tess," he answered quietly, pointing back over his shoulder. His tone was serious.

Caitlyn gasped.

"Oh no! Are you serious?"

Shane nodded slowly.

"Yeah, Tess found us. She said she was sick. I mean, she didn't look too bad to me, but she said she's been ill all night and that she didn't have any energy left, so I left her with Mitchie and came to get help."

"She told you she was sick?" Caitlyn spat, looking at Shane in disbelief.

Shane nodded.

"What?!"Caitlyn seethed, unable to believe what Shane had just told her.

Jason and Nate looked on in confusion.

"I don't know what she's up to, but she's not sick. She lied to you, Shane. I saw her this morning, and she's perfectly fine."

"But why would she lie?" Shane asked after a moment.

_The female brain is one thing I'll never understand._

"How should I know?" Caitlyn shot back. "She hates Mitchie, she could be doing anything to her right now!"

She tried not to think about it, but she couldn't get the awful images out of her head.

"Caitlyn," Nate said soothingly. "I'm sure Mitchie can look after herself. She'll be fine."

An alarmed look passed over Shane's face. He uttered a few curses under his breath, and began walking hurriedly through the forest to the place where he had left Mitchie. The others followed, struggling to keep up with his pace.

"Shane, what's the rush? She'll be fine."

"No, she won't," Shane moaned. "Caitlyn, you're right. Mitchie's sick, she's unconscious, Tess could be doing anything to her right now."

Caitlyn looked up sharply.

"Mitchie's sick?"

Shane nodded sombrely, and began walking faster.

"I.. I don't know what's wrong with her. She's unconscious, she has been since I found her. Her breathing's getting really bad."

"Oh my God.." Caitlyn whispered, nearly tripping over a tree root.

"Asthma. Mitchie has asthma. Why didn't I think to bring her inhaler? You said she was unconscious? It must be really, really bad..."

Shane nodded, and they continued on in silence.

Nate held Caitlyn's hand firmly, giving it a comforting squeeze.

She managed a small smile, but inside, her stomach was in knots.

She had a feeling they were going to be too late.

* * *

Tess was breathing deeply. She stopped dragging Mitchie's body, and let it fall limply to the ground.

This was the place she had checked out earlier. She placed her hands on her hips and looked around confidently.

It was perfect.

They were a long way from camp now.

A steep cliff lay just ahead of them. It was an almost vertical drop, a hundred metres down into the valley below.

Tess walked forward, admiring the view.

A serene look crossed her face.

She didn't care any more.

She didn't care that she could be in a lot of trouble for what she was about to do.

She didn't care that she was about to harm an innocent life.

It didn't matter anyway.

Nothing mattered to her anymore. Her life was a mess; everything that she had ever cared about had lost all its meaning.

_And if I can't have a perfect life, why should anyone else?_ Tess thought bitterly.

She thought of Mitchie's mother: with her cheerful optimism and loving smile. Kissing Mitchie goodbye, giving her a hug.

Tess almost felt guilty.

_That was the last time Connie would ever see her daughter again._

Then she thought of her own mother, and the remorse vanished.

The busy schedules, never having enough time to spend with her daughter. The impatient looks, failing to show even the slightest sign of affection.

Tess glared coldly at Mitchie.

And then there was Shane. It looked as though he belonged to Mitchie now, too.

Life was so unfair.

_But I know how to make it better._

She stood on the edge of the cliff top, reminiscing.

_Sure, Mitchie might have everything,_ Tess thought with a nasty smile.

_But bad things happen to people who have everything._

* * *

The light was beckoning.

Mitchie struggled to escape the dark pit of her unconscious.

Finally, with a strangled gasp, she broke free.

Her eyelids fluttered open.

* * *

Shane looked around the empty clearing.

_They're gone,_ he thought anxiously.

"No!" Caitlyn cried angrily. "What has she done to her?"

Horrible images entered her head. She couldn't take it any more. This was too much.

She burst into tears. Nate held her tightly and she sobbed quietly into his shoulder, not wanting to believe that Mitchie was gone.

"It's OK," he whispered soothingly, stroking her hair. "We'll find her, it'll be OK."

Suddenly, an ear splitting scream echoed through the forest.

Shane looked up sharply.

"Mitchie!" He shouted, his stomach turning somersaults.

The four of them raced through the trees towards the sound.

But none of them were prepared for what they were about to see.

* * *

**_A/N: YAY CLIFFY! :) Haha, I hope you enjoyed that! Was there enough suspense? Was it too long? _**

**_Tell me what you thought!_**

**_I want your honest opinion!_**

**_There's a brand new review button, just below! It's AWESOME! And I think It's calling your name, BEGGING you to try it out! Can you hear it?? :)_**

**_Thanks for reading! Please review! :)  
Much love and thanks!_**

**_Kacee_**

**_XX_**


	8. Desperate

**_A/N: Hello again! Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter, you guys are awesome! :) I'm so glad that you all like this story! And thanks for all of your ideas :) This chapter was fun to write so I hope you all enjoy it! :)_**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Shane sprinted through the forest, with the others close at his heels.

All he could think about was Mitchie.

_I'm going to kill Tess if she hurt her, _he thought, fury bubbling up inside him. _I'm going to kill her._

He rounded the corner and saw something that made his heart stop.

They were at a cliff side.

Shane froze.

He felt his world fall down around him. He squeezed his eyes shut.

_I can't believe it. I can't believe Tess would be capable of murder. _

Slow tears began building up, screening his eye's from the scene surrounding him.

He didn't want to see anymore.

"Mitchie!" Shane heard Caitlyn yell.

He spun around and looked in the direction that she was running in.

He squinted through the trees, and caught a glimpse of tangled brown hair.

His heart thumped heavily in his chest.

_Oh God. Could it be?_

* * *

_**Flashback- A few minutes ago.**_

A sharp intake of breath was enough to distract Tess from her thoughts. She whirled around.

Mitchie's eyes were fluttering open.

Tess gasped and took a step backwards.

She hadn't expected this.

Suddenly, she felt her feet slip out from beneath her. She flung her arms out to regain her balance, but to no avail.

The rest seemed to happen in slow motion.

Tess let out an ear splitting scream as she felt gravity disappear.

She was airborne.

And she was terrified.

_**End of Flashback**_

* * *

Mitchie could not get the scream out of her head. It was tormenting her.

Silent tears streamed down her cheeks.

She had no idea where she was, or how she had got here.

But she had seen everything.

Tess had screamed. She had fallen over the cliff, and Mitchie had lain there, frozen, unable to move.

When she heard the dull thump, and the screaming cease, she struggled to get to her feet, but found that she couldn't.

Mitchie began to panic.

_Please tell me I'm dreaming, _she prayed silently. _Please tell me that this is all a nightmare, and that I'm going to wake up any second, and everything is going to be alright._

But she knew it wasn't.

Desperation consumed her.

She couldn't think clearly.

She couldn't breathe.

_Stop it, Mitchie, _she tried to tell herself._ Just, calm down. Take deep breaths._

But she couldn't.

The image of Tess falling over the cliff was replaying itself over and over in her mind.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she shook her head furiously.

_This can't be happening._

She tried to suck in a breath, but merely found herself choking instead.

She was running out of air.

Mitchie was now in such a frenzied state that she didn't even hear the voices yelling her name.

She couldn't even see the people crouching in front of her.

She couldn't even feel them shaking her, begging her to calm down, to breathe.

Mitchie tried to fight the blackness that was beginning to engulf her.

But she didn't have the strength.

She felt herself fading.

Voices were screaming her name, and she longed to reply.

Wet tears streamed down her face.

This was agony.

She didn't want to die.

But she couldn't hold on any longer.

She slipped silently into the darkness, the world as she knew it crumbling around her.

On the inside, she was screaming. Screaming for everyone she loved, that she was leaving behind. She hadn't even gotten to say goodbye.

Her heart stopped.

Just as the scream began to diminish within her, she felt a surge of air expand her lungs.

Another followed, and she felt a faint spark of hope.

The darkness that was enveloping her unwillingly began to release its hold…

* * *

"Do it again!" Nate screamed.

Shane was bent over Mitchie, performing mouth to mouth resuscitation.

Jason watched on in silent horror; for once, he was speechless.

Caitlyn was screaming hysterically, tears rolling down her face.

Shane tried to ignore everything that was going on around him. He pinched Mitchie's nostrils closed, tilted her head back and blew two quick breaths into her mouth.

He tried to keep calm, but his hands were shaking.

Shane rested his fingers on her bare neck, feeling for a pulse.

Nothing.

His heart was racing. He repeated the procedure twice more, his hope beginning to fade.

On the third attempt, he let out an exultant cry.

Mitchie's chest began to rise.

The breathing was slow and laboured, her pulse was weak, and she was still unconscious, barely clinging to life; but she was alive.

Shane knew he had to get Mitchie to a hospital. Fast.

He turned to the others, making no attempt to stop the tears that were now streaming down his cheeks.

Nate was clutching Caitlyn in his arms. She had stopped screaming, but she looked terrified.

Nate was attempting to calm her down; it pained him to see her in such a distress.

"She'll be OK, Caitlyn. She's going to be alright."

Caitlyn began to sob harder, and Nate stroked her hair comfortingly.

"Once we get her to a hospital, she'll be fine."

"Where's Tess?" Shane asked warily, looking around him.

Jason was standing at the cliff's edge. He turned gravely towards them, pointing downwards.

Caitlyn gasped, and they all walked forwards in grim silence.

They stared downwards.

On a ledge fifty or so metres down, lay a motionless body.

Blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, and Shane recognized Tess instantly.

* * *

Nate gaped.

"Oh my God. Is she… dead?"

They exchanged glances, unsure what to do.

Shane drew back from the edge, in shock from what he had just seen.

He turned to Mitchie, trying to think clearly.

_OK. First thing's first. I've got to get Mitchie out of here. _

Shane walked over to her, and his heart melted at the pained expression on her face.

He crouched beside her, caressing her hair lightly, trying to block out the image of Tess lying motionless at the bottom of the cliff.

Shane gingerly lifted Mitchie in his arms, and carried her bridal style to the edge of the forest.

"I'm taking Mitchie back," Shane called over his shoulder to the others. They were still standing near the cliff, talking quietly.

The talking ceased and they all turned to face him.

"Do you know the way?" Nate asked him after a moment.

Shane nodded.

"I think so."

"What about Tess?" Caitlyn asked hesitantly.

"Up to you," Shane replied with a tired sigh. He was already strolling away, intent on getting Mitchie to a hospital as quickly as possible.

Jason, Nate and Caitlyn looked at each other.

"What should we do?" Jason asked.

"Well, we can't leave her there," Nate said quietly.

Caitlyn frowned.

"What else can we do, though? We don't even know if she's alive."

"We could climb down the cliff and see," Jason suggested eagerly.

Nate glared at him.

"Jason, you can't climb down a cliff. That's why they call it a cliff. It's a vertical drop," he said, gesturing wildly. "The only way we can get down there is to abseil. Or fall over the edge." He added.

Jason nodded, his eyes widening.

"OK! lets do that, then."

"What? Fall over the edge?" Caitlyn asked with a grim laugh. "Great plan, you go first, Jason."

Nate grabbed Jason as he turned to obey.

"Don't be an idiot! She was joking!"

Jason looked crestfallen.

"But Tess could be hurt. We should help her."

Caitlyn's eyes narrowed.

"Look, Tess brought Mitchie to this place. She must've been planning to hurt her, or threaten her, or something. Think about it! If she had good intentions, she would've just stayed with Mitchie back at the clearing, and looked after her until Shane got back with help."

They were silent for a moment.

Nate frowned, trying to take it all in.

He blinked and looked at Caitlyn in confusion.

"What are you saying?"

Caitlyn avoided his eyes.

"I don't know, Nate."

She sighed.

"Maybe she deserved what she got; Maybe we should just.."

"Leave her here?" Nate finished, raising his eyebrows.

A tear rolled down Caitlyn's cheek. She didn't have the heart to nod.

"I don't know," she whispered quietly.

Nate wrapped her in his arms, and she sobbed quietly, leaning her head on his chest.

* * *

Tess felt her eyes flicker open, and she groaned softly.

The light was blinding.

She blinked in confusion, trying to sit up; but she couldn't move.

Her head ached, and a gasp escaped her lips.

She seemed to be frozen to the ground.

Her leg was twisted at a strange angle, but there was something wrong.

Tess tried not to panic. She reached out a trembling hand to touch her leg.

When she did, a sob caught in her throat.

She prodded it again, and the tears began to fall.

_Why can't I feel it? _She asked herself desperately, beginning to panic.

It was the strangest sensation. Tess could see her legs, but she couldn't feel anything.

She pinched one again, hard, praying to feel even the slightest bit of pain.

But there was nothing.

She screamed silently.

_Why can't I feel it?_

* * *

**A/N: Not much of a cliffhanger, sorry, but it was the best I could do. :)**

**So what did you think? **

**Do you feel sorry for Tess? **

**Do you hate me?**

**Love me?**

**LOL! :)**

**Any ideas for what you want to happen next? Let me know! :)**

**Reviews are absolutely adored! It would be awesome if we could get up to 200 reviews! :)**

**That would be amazing!**

**Did you hear that? 200 reviews! That's a challenge for you!! :)**

**So if you are reading this right now, and are thinking of clicking the X at the top right of the page, and leaving without reviewing, please think again!**

**Even if the review is just one word, please do!**

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**To all of the regular reviewers, thankyou so much! You guys are amazing! Keep up the good work :)**

**Hugs,**

**Kacee**


	9. A Bad Feeling

_**A/N: Hey guys :) So after the last authors note, most of you told me not to redo chapter 9..**_

**_But it was bugging me so much.._**

**_Not because some people didn't like it, it was more the fact that it made the situation seem unrealistic, to the point where I didn't even like it. Which is saying something, because I wrote it :)_**

**_It took me a while to decide whether to redo it or not, but I can be quite a perfectionist at times, and Chapter 9 was making me unhappy :(_**

**_Don't get me wrong, I love the Nate/Jason bickering and light hearted humour, just as you do, but it made that chapter seem too unrealistic._**

**_I feel like I could've done it better, and I feel like I kind of let you guys down, and let my self down a bit too. So I'm sorry about that :)_**

**_So, I've decided to redo it. I've made it so it's a bit more serious and realistic, and I've slightly changed it up a bit. Hope you enjoy :)_**

* * *

"Uncle Brown!" Shane shouted loudly, recognising the figure in the distance.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God," he murmured, staring at the fragile body in his arms.

"It's going to be OK, Mitchie," Shane whispered.

His eyes scanned her face for any reaction; yet she remained just as pale and lifeless as she had been earlier.

His brow furrowed, and he tightened his grip on her protectively.

"Shane!" Someone yelled loudly.

He looked up, remembering where he was, and managed a weak smile as his Uncle rushed over to him, followed closely by Connie, Peggy and Ella.

Relief was evident on all of their faces, but it was wiped clean when they noticed Mitchie lying unconscious in Shane's arms.

Connie froze.

"Oh my God," she whispered, taking in her daughter's motionless form with disbelieving eyes. "Mitchie!"

Her eyes shone with tears as she gazed up at Shane.

"What happened?"

"I found her like this," Shane replied tensely. "Her breathing's getting really bad. Caitlyn said she has asthma?"

Connie sucked in a breath.

She nodded brokenly, her eye's creased with fear.

"It's never been this bad before," She murmured softly, a tear running down her cheek. "Her inhaler. I should've thought... But I... I didn't expec-"

"We need to get her to a hospital," Brown interrupted solemnly. He drew his eye's away from Mitchie for a moment to look at the group that was now gathered around.

"Peggy," He instructed, gesturing to the girl with long dark hair. "Run back to camp, and get Dee to phone an ambulance."

Peggy's eyes widened, but she nodded and disappeared into the tree's.

"We need to get Mitchie back as quickly as possible," Brown continued.

He turned to his nephew. "How long has she been like this?"

"She was like this when I found her. I don't know for how long. It could've been hours. I- I dunno.."

Everyone was silent.

"How far is Camp?" Ella asked gravely.

"It's not far," Connie answered, brushing the tears from her face. Seeing Mitchie in such a state made her heart threaten to stop beating. She didn't know if she could stand it if this was the last time she would get to see her daughter alive.

_Don't think about that Connie. It's not going to happen._

She tried to reassure herself, but a sense of doubt still lingered, threatening, at the back of her mind.

As the group hurried back to camp, with Mitchie clasped tightly in Shane's arms, the sun began to sink lower into the sky.

Dusk was approaching.

And time was running out.

* * *

Frightened tears raced down Tess's cheeks, and she made no attempt to brush them away. She was terrified.

Her legs had no feeling in them, and her spine felt as though a thousand knives were piercing into it, unrelenting with their fury.

This was karma.

Tess couldn't stand it any longer. She opened her mouth and screamed; screamed like she'd never screamed before.

It was a scream of pure terror, enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

The sound echoed for an eternity, reverberating through the valley like thunder.

* * *

Caitlyn covered her ears to block out the piercing scream.

When it finally ended, she limped to the cliff side, apprehensive of what she was about to see. Jason and Nate were already there, looking down.

The figure sprawled on the ground far below them was shaking with sobs.

Caitlyn and Nate looked grimly at each other.

_Tess was alive._

* * *

The sirens wailed loudly, red lights flashing.

The ambulance jerked to a stop in the Camp Rock driveway.

Brown rushed frantically towards it just as a man and woman leapt out.

"Thank God!" He cried. "You've got to help! She's getting worse! Her breathing.. She can't breathe!"

The ambulance workers reacted swiftly.

"Where is she?"

Brown was in such a state that he couldn't answer. This was something he had never experienced in his whole history at Camp Rock. A camper was dying before his very eye's, and there was nothing he could do.

"Sir," The women said seriously. "We're going to need you to calm down and tell us where she is."

Brown took a gulp of air and pointed hysterically towards the nearest cabin.

The ambulancers workers nodded briefly and raced up the cabin steps.

* * *

Shane heard the loud sirens wailing and his heart clenched.

Mitchie was getting worse.

Her face was turning blue, and her breaths were now coming out in short frenzied gasps.

Shane squeezed her hand tightly, trying not to cry.

"Come on, Mitchie," he whispered in a strangled voice. "You can't give up on us."

Connie was in a hysterical state. She was pleading for her daughter to wake up, tears rolling freely down her cheeks.

This couldn't be the end.

Just then, a man and woman rushed into the cabin, wearing official uniforms and with medical equipment in hands.

One look at Mitchie told them that the situation was grave.

"I'll get the stretcher," The man said solemnly from the doorway, as the woman knelt beside Mitchie.

The woman gave a brief nod. She was focused entirely on her work.

She carefully lifted Mitchie's head up, and strapped an oxygen mask to her face to help her to breathe.

"How long has she been like this?" She asked swiftly.

Connie sobbed into her hands, too distraught to answer.

"She just started getting worse a few minutes ago," Shane said, his voice tense with worry. "But she's been unconscious for hours."

The womans face turned grim.

"You should've called us earlier. We'll need to get her to the hospital immediately," She informed them.

The male officer returned, and carefully loaded Mitchie onto the stretcher.

Shane watched them go.

Mitchie's face was contorted with agony, and beads of sweat were forming on her forehead.

All her energy was concentrated on staying alive.

Shane leapt to his feet.

His heart was thumping fiercely in his chest.

"Come on, Shane," Brown said from the doorway. "We'll take my car."

Shane nodded quickly, and followed his Uncle out the door.

The ambulance was just disappearing around a bend in the driveway, sirens wailing urgently.

Shane felt his stomach clench in dread.

He had a bad feeling about all this.

* * *

**_A/N: So it's a bit different. A bit less humourous, a bit more dramatic. :)_**

**_On a brighter note, I finished my first exam today (English) and it went quite well, I thought! Lol but I couldn't stop thinking about this story in it, I'm getting a few ideas for what's going to happen next. More drama, I promise you!_**

**_I'm really sorry about changing this chapter, but I'm a lot happier with it now, which is good. _**

**_What did you think?_**

**_Was it realistic?_**

**_Did you like it?_**

**_Please let me know. Your reviews make me HAPPY! XD_**

**_So if you feel like lifting my spirits, click on that little review button down at the bottom of the page and tell me what you thought!_**

**_Or if you've done that already, please go on to my page and send me a PM._**

**_It would be much appreciated :)_**

**_Sorry if I sound a bit dreary, I blame it on exams! :D_**

**_Hugs,_**

**_Kacee_**


	10. Reality

**_A/N: I am soooo sooooooo sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time! :(_**

_**But hey, I'm back now! I still have one more exam, but I couldn't tear myself away from fan fiction any longer. I had to update!**_

_**Oh and YAY for you guys! We're over 200 reviews now, so thank you all so much! You are absolutely amazing! And reading your reviews make me so happy! XD **_

_**Anyway, here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy : )**_

_**This one is dedicated to all of my wonderful reviewers out there! Hope you're still with me! : ) You know who you are!! : D**_

* * *

A tense feeling flooded the hospital waiting room.

Shane paced up and down anxiously, unable to keep still.

_Please be OK, Mitchie, _he prayed silently.

He felt a hand touch his shoulder, and he spun around.

A woman with auburn hair was gazing at him worriedly.

"Dee! I didn't know you were here," Shane said with a weak smile.

"I came as soon as I heard. How are you feeling, Shane?" Dee asked.

The tear tracks were still visible on Shane's face.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm alright, I guess."

An empty silence followed.

"I know you're worried about Mitchie," Dee said softly. "But try to be optimistic. She'll be okay."

Shane met her gaze, his eyes brimming with tears.

"You don't know that. You didn't see her. This isn't just a bit of asthma, Dee. This is _serious."_

"Look, Mitchie's a tough kid," Dee told him gently. "She'll pull through this."

Shane sighed, not knowing how to reply. He wanted to believe that Mitchie would pull through, that she'd be OK, but doubt lingered at the back of his mind.

It disturbed him, but he couldn't shake it off.

Dee was watching him cautiously.

Shane ignored her, choosing to stare down the long white hallway instead. It was empty. There was no sign of Mitchie, or anyone for that matter. No bustling activity, no doctors or nurses, just… silence.

It was eerie, and Shane didn't like it.

His mind drifted to Mitchie.

Where was she?

Was she still alive?

Shane blinked back tears.

It pained him to not know what was happening to her.

"Nate and Jason flew up to help find you," Dee said suddenly, attempting to distract Shane from his thoughts.

Shane frowned.

"Yeah, I know, I saw them earlier," He murmured, not really paying attention. His mind was miles away, thinking about Mitchie, and how she had looked when she was taken away on the stretcher.

Shane shuddered.

He couldn't stand it if that was the last memory he had of her: Pale and fragile, being towed away in an ambulance full of strangers.

The thought was horrible.

_It couldn't end like this, could it?_

"Oh. Where are they now?" Dee asked, interrupting Shane's reverie.

Shane shook his head to clear his thoughts, and tried to concentrate on what Dee was saying.

"Where is who now?" He asked tiredly.

"Nate and Jason," Dee replied. "They came all this way to see you, don't tell me they've gone already?" Her tone was mystified, and Shane shook his head.

"No, they're with Caitlyn."

The events of earlier suddenly became sharp in his memory.

Shane froze.

_How could he have forgotten?_

When he looked at Dee next, there was a glint of urgency in his eye's.

"We have to call for help," He said anxiously.

"Why?" Dee asked, her eyes widening in alarm. "What happened to Nate and Jason?"

Shane shook his head.

"Not Nate and Jason," He answered darkly. "Tess."

* * *

Camp Rock was overcome with activity in the next few hours.

After Shane had informed Dee about what had happened to Tess, the seriousness of the situation had escalated. The Emergency Services had been contacted, and a helicopter and rescue team were sent out to the cliff side.

That had been half an hour ago, and there had been no news about Tess's condition.

Everyone was in a daze. The events of the last day were mind boggling. Something that Brown thought could only happen in movies.

But this was all too real.

There had been no news on Mitchie's condition either, so while Connie and Shane remained at the hospital, Brown and Dee returned to the Camp to get some rest and inform the Campers of what was happening.

It had been a long day.

As soon as they entered the cafeteria, chaos reigned.

The campers all began talking at once, yelling out questions, jumping to their feet; desperate to know what had happened.

Dee froze in shock. She hadn't been expecting this.

Luckily, Brown had.

"Quiet!" He roared over the commotion. He barely ever raised his voice with the students, but when he did, the effect was instantaneous.

A great hush overcame the room; the campers exchanged stunned looks.

"Thank you," Brown continued firmly. "Now, as you know, a lot has happened in the past 24 hours. People have been hurt, and there has been-"

"Who?" A boy with short dark hair interrupted loudly.

All eye's turned to him.

He flushed, slightly embarrassed.

"I mean, I think you owe us an explanation, Brown. We've been kept in the dark about all this. We should know what's been happening."

Many people around him nodded their heads in agreement, and he drew courage from their approval.

"All you've told us is that Shane and Mitchie have been found. Who found them? Are they alive? Injured? Where are they now?"

Brown frowned at all the questions. He exchanged a look with Dee, who bit her lip nervously.

"And why," The boy continued, "did that helicopter and an Emergency Rescue team suddenly show up out of the blue? What happened? I thought Shane and Mitchie had already been found! Who else got hurt that we don't know about?"

The cafeteria was buzzing now. All the campers were frustrated with the lack of information Brown had given them.

They wanted to know what happened.

Brown sighed.

There was no use in putting it off any longer. The campers had just as much right as he did to know what was going on.

"That's what we came to talk to you about," Brown said finally, his eyes roaming over the large crowd in front of him.

It was daunting.

A tense silence ensued, and Brown cleared his throat, unsure of how to start.

"Is Shane OK?" A pretty brunette at the front asked shyly.

Brown hid a grin. The world's earnest admiration of his nephew amused him.

He nodded, and the girl smiled, relieved.

"He's exhausted, but there's no physical harm done," Brown told the campers.

"What about Mitchie?" Someone called out.

Brown swallowed nervously, and was grateful when Dee spoke up.

"Mitchie is in the hospital," She informed them gravely.

A few people gasped.

"She had a very bad asthma attack," Dee continued swiftly, not wanting to be interrupted by their questions.

"She was unconscious when she was found, and struggling to breathe. The ambulance was called, but there has been no more news on her condition. That's all we know."

The crowd was silent, struggling to take it all in.

Brown nodded at Dee, and swiftly took up the story.

"The Rescue Services were called because one of our campers was injured when they were searching for Shane and Mitchie. We're not sure what her condition is, but we will let you all know when we have more news."

"Who is it?" A voice called out, and everyone's eyes focused on Brown, waiting for an answer.

Brown looked warily at Dee, and she gave a small nod, indicating she thought it was all right to tell them.

He sighed.

"They probably already know anyway," Dee murmured in encouragement. "I mean, it's not hard to figure out which camper is missing, is it? Get the truth out before the rumours start, Brown. Just tell them."

Brown nodded reluctantly and slowly raised his eyes to the impatient crowd in front of him.

"Tess Tyler," He said gravely. His voice quivered as he fought to stay composed.

He looked away from the curious eye's which were staring back at him, eager to know more.

"That's all," Brown said firmly, and he walked swiftly out the door before anyone could argue otherwise.

Dee watched him go with a sigh. She shrugged in response to the campers questioning stares, and followed him warily out the door.

It had been a hard day, but she had a feeling it was going to get worse.

* * *

Tess heard the hushed voices surrounding her and she forced her eyes open.

She moaned softly as the world came into focus once more.

_I must've passed out,_ Tess thought vaguely to herself as she tried to remember where she was.

"Tess?" A voice asked smoothly. "How are you feeling?"

Tess blinked in confusion.

A male in a crisp white uniform was bent over her, gazing at her with concern. Rescue Services was imprinted in blue on his collar.

_Rescue Services? _

Tess frowned.

_What had happened?_

"Where am I?" She asked quietly. Her throat felt raw. She struggled to swallow as the man replied.

"You're in the Rescue Helicopter. You fell over a cliff at your Camp's boundary. Don't you remember?"

Tess didn't reply.

"We're on our way to the hospital. Your parent's have been contacted," The man informed her. "Just lie back and rest. We'll be there in no time."

A tear ran down Tess's cheek.

The man patted her leg reassuringly, and she began to sob.

There was still no feeling in her legs.

_What was wrong with her?_

The rescue man was staring at her with a worried expression.

Tess was shaking violently.

She couldn't stop.

She didn't want to think about what was wrong with her, but the sharp knives piercing into her spine made it hard not to.

Tess gulped, and looked up at the stranger with red rimmed eyes.

She felt so alone.

It wouldn't surprise her if her mother didn't even show up at the hospital.

_She doesn't care about me anyway, _Tess thought hysterically. _She doesn't give a damn whether I live or die. In fact, she'd probably be grateful to finally be rid of me if I did._

With this thought, Tess felt her world begin to cave in around her.

She choked out a finally sob before sinking gratefully into unconsciousness.

Anything was better than reality.

* * *

Shane sat distractedly beside Connie on the firm couch in the hospital waiting room.

This was torture.

An hour had passed since Mitchie had been admitted to the hospital, and there had been no news on her condition.

It was agony being kept in the dark.

Shane wanted to see her, to hold her in his arms and make sure she was okay.

But he knew there was no chance of that.

Connie patted his hand comfortingly, as if sensing his agitation.

They sat in silence for the next few minutes.

After what seemed like forever, crisp footsteps sounded from the hall.

Shane and Connie looked up, suddenly wary.

A doctor in a white coat emerged, his face a mask, devoid of all emotion.

Shane felt a flurry of butterflies as they waited for him to speak.

"Mrs. Torres?" The man said quietly.

Connie nodded, frightened.

"You're Mitchie's mother?" He asked, and when she nodded again his glance turned to Shane.

"And you are..?"

"Shane Gray. A friend," Shane said quickly.

"Right, well I'm afraid I have some bad news for you both," The doctor replied sombrely.

Shane felt his heart stop.

He heard Connie begin to sob beside him and his world fell to pieces.

Tears threatened to fall, but he blinked them away angrily.

_It couldn't be true._

Shane looked up at the doctor with fear in his eyes.

"She's… gone?" He asked in disbelief.

* * *

**_A/N: Uh Oh.. Bad news! Is she dead? Alive? Find out next chapter! :D_**

**_Oh My Gosh, I'm so evil.. :) Sorry for leaving you with such a horrible cliffhanger! I couldn't resist!_**

**_Big thankyou to everyone who reviewed that last chapter, and especially to those people who couldn't review it, so PM'd me instead. You guys are so dedicated :D_**

**_If FanFiction won't let you review this chapter, why don't you sign out and submit an anonymous review?_**

**_Or PM me again, which ever suits :)_**

**_I love hearing from you guys, your reviews make my day!_**

**_Now I want to have a vote:_**

**_  
DO YOU THINK MITCHIE SHOULD LIVE OR DIE?_**

**_I am taking your opinions into account before I write the next chapter._**

**_So if you want her to live, I suggest you review and get your vote in! :D  
Every vote counts!_**

**_Chocolate cake for all my wonderful reviewers! You guys are awesome :)_**

**_Hugs,_**

**_Kacee_**


	11. Impossible

**_A/N: Oh My Gosh. You guys are LEGENDS! XD _**

**_Hehe, but no, I'm actually dead serious. That was the most reviews I've ever gotten on a chapter! OVER FIFTY REVIEWS! OVER FIFTY! That's absolutely INSANE! : D _**

**_Wow, thank you all so much! I absolutely LOVE you guys! 3 _**

**_And I have to tell you, that all 57 of those reviews were in favour of keeping Mitchie alive. : ) Some went so far as to threaten to hunt me down with pitchforks and other various sharp objects if I wrote anything otherwise. _**

**_Haha, very funny, but did that scare me enough into obeying? _**

**_Well what on earth are you reading this authors note for? XD _**

**_Read on and find out! =)_**

* * *

"She's… gone?" Shane asked in disbelief.

The doctor looked stunned for a moment.

He frowned and shook his head quickly.

"No, no. She's still alive."

Connie stopped sobbing, and looked up at the doctor hopefully.

"She's OK?"

A grim look passed over the doctor's face and he shook his head.

"No. We're going to need you to fill out some forms Mrs. Torres. It's standard procedure."

"Forms? Why? What's wrong with her?" Shane asked abruptly.

The doctor sighed.

"I suggest we take a seat."

He led Shane and Connie to the firm couch they had occupied earlier.

They sat stiffly, waiting for the doctor's diagnosis.

"We have taken a few tests, and we believe that Mitchie has developed a condition called Hypoxia."

Shane looked up at the doctor in confusion.

"Hypoxia? What-"

"Hypoxia is a pathological condition in which the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply," the doctor continued, predicting Shane's question. "When Mitchie's asthma attack worsened, we believe that there was a mismatch between the supply and demand of oxygen at a cellular level."

He paused when he saw Shane and Connie exchange bewildered glances.

"In short, there is not enough oxygen in her blood to keep the heart pumping regularly," he finished, and waited for a reaction.

Connie nodded numbly.

Shane remained still, frozen in silence.

"So, what does that mean?" Connie asked weakly.

"It means that we must expect the worst."

Upon seeing Connie's alarmed look, he hastened to reassure her.

"There is still a chance that Mitchie may live, although I admit that the odds are not in her favour. It is estimated that only one in three patients with Hypoxia survive."

Shane suddenly felt nauseous.

"Are you sure it's Hypoxia?" He asked weakly, fishing for a loop hole. "Couldn't it be something else?"

The doctor gave Shane a weak smile which didn't quite reach his eyes.

"We're 99% sure. She has all the symptoms: shortness of breath, fatigue, changes in level of consciousness, blue discolouration of the skin.." The doctor lapsed into silence.

Shane closed his eye's as Connie worked up the courage to speak.

"How is she now?"

The doctor held Connie's steady gaze and sighed.

"Mitchie's on life support, Mrs. Torres. She can't breathe independently."

Connie sucked in a breath and began to sob quietly.

"Can we see her?" Shane asked numbly.

The doctor shuffled his feet and looked uncomfortable.

"We need to run some more tests first. Mitchie is still unconscious, which isn't a good sign."

Connie began to sob harder.

Shane merely stared blankly ahead, unseeing. It was like his life was suddenly beyond his control.

Mitchie was dying, and there was nothing he could do.

He felt miserable, lifeless; so disconnected from his body that he didn't even register the tears now rolling down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry," the doctor said sincerely. "I understand how hard this is for you both. We'll do everything we possibly can to help Mitchie. And if there is anything else I can do for you, just ask. I'll let you know as soon as we have any further news on her condition. Right now, I'll need you to sign some papers Mrs. Torres. Has Mitchie's father been contacted?"

Connie sniffed and wiped her tears from her cheeks before replying.

"I called him earlier. He's on his way now."

The doctor nodded sombrely, and handed a few pages of forms to Connie.

"I'll be back soon," He promised.

With that he turned on his heels and retreated back down the hall, leaving Shane and Connie to dwell in grief-stricken silence.

* * *

Tess was being dragged unwillingly from unconsciousness. She wanted to linger in the blackness; the only place where she couldn't feel, couldn't think, couldn't remember.

It was easier that way.

Her stomach plummeted suddenly as she felt herself being lifted.

She was airborne.

The feeling was all too familiar.

The cliff flashed blindingly in her memory.

_She was falling, spiralling towards her death. The ground surged up to meet her._

No. Not again.

Her eyes fluttered upon and she realized she was screaming.

"Shhh, shhh honey," A female voice soothed. "Just a dream. You're fine."

The scream froze in Tess's throat and she tried to focus on her surroundings.

Where was she?

A man and woman were looking down at her cautiously, and Tess squeezed her eyes shut again, feeling slightly sick.

She was being carried on a stretcher into the hospital.

The female nurse was speaking soothingly to her again, but Tess merely felt irritated.

She wanted more than anything to get up and leave at that very moment.

To be surrounded by her friends; to be told how much they missed her, that they were glad she was alive.

To have her mother hold her in her arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

Tess shrank back into her thoughts, knowing that it was impossible.

She sighed bitterly as she felt the tears sting her eyes.

Everything she wanted was impossible.

* * *

Caitlyn sat outside, lost in thought.

Darkness had finally fallen, and brought with it a blanket of stars.

She shivered as she admired the bejewelled sky.

It was a cold night.

She wrapped her arms around herself to banish the chill that was beginning to creep through her body.

"Hey," A quiet voice called from the blackness.

Caitlyn gasped and looked up.

Nate was walking towards her, a shy smile on his face.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," he said guiltily.

Caitlyn shivered again and wrapped her arms tighter around herself.

"It's okay."

"Are you cold?" Nate asked with sudden concern.

He walked closer and sat down beside her, draping his jacket over her shoulders.

"Thanks," Caitlyn whispered. "Where's Jason?"

Nate sighed in frustration.

"He's building a birdhouse," He muttered.

Caitlyn raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"A birdhouse? Why?"

"Don't ask," Nate growled under his breath.

Caitlyn laughed, smiling at his agitation.

A twinge of guilt plagued her mind and her amusement faded; the grin wiped clean from her face.

She shouldn't be happy. She shouldn't be smiling and laughing.

Not when Tess was badly injured.

Not when Mitchie was dying.

She didn't deserve to have fun and enjoy herself when they were lying in hospital.

It wasn't right.

It wasn't fair to them.

Nate was watching her intently.

"Are you OK?" He asked finally.

Caitlyn bit her lip and kept her eyes on the ground.

But she couldn't cry again. Not in front of Nate.

"You're worried about Tess and Mitchie aren't you?"

Caitlyn sighed in response to Nate's question and looked reluctantly up at him.

"Is it that obvious?"

Nate nodded, his eye's sad. He wanted to reassure her, to tell her that everything was going to be fine, but he wasn't quite sure what to say.

Caitlyn gave him a watery smile.

"So much has happened. Yesterday, everything was perfect, and then today.." She paused for a moment before continuing. "It feels like my whole world's been tipped upside down."

Nate touched her hand gently, his eyes full of understanding.

"I know," He murmured. "But it'll get better. Tess is strong, she'll be out of hospital in no time. And Mitchie.." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Mitchie will be okay, I know she will."

Caitlyn was torn.

"But how can you know that? How can you be sure? What if Mitchie doesn't get better, Nate? What if she.. What if she di-"

"Don't say it," Nate said firmly. "She won't, okay?"

He frowned when Caitlyn didn't reply.

"Just try not to think about it. You're tired, maybe you'll feel better after a good nights sleep."

"Maybe," Caitlyn sighed doubtfully.

"How's your ankle?" Nate asked after a moments silence.

"It's all right," Caitlyn lied.

Nate frowned.

"It hurts, doesn't it? You should've rested it today."

Caitlyn sighed, suddenly agitated.

"Yeah, well it's too late for 'should haves' now, isn't it?" She mumbled under her breath.

Why did everyone keep asking her about her ankle?

She didn't want their sympathy; in fact, it was getting on her nerves.

"Whatever," Nate murmured, getting to his feet.

"Wait," Caitlyn sighed, reaching up to touch his arm before he could leave. "Don't go. I'm sorry. I-"

"It's okay, Caitlyn. You don't have to explain yourself to me." Nate said quietly.

Caitlyn was still for a moment, waiting for him to continue.

But he didn't.

He stayed silent, watching her with an expression that she couldn't understand.

"Nate?" She asked cautiously.

Nate sighed and reluctantly sat down beside her.

"Yeah?"

Caitlyn bit her lip shyly, shaking her head.

"Never mind," She murmured. "It's not important."

Nate smiled lightly, taking her hand in his.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, watching the stars fade in the sky. Caitlyn finally managed to pull her gaze away.

She looked up at Nate, her heart beating fervently in her chest.

His brown curls fell casually over his face, his expression unreadable, and any hostility Caitlyn had felt before faded; she had a sudden urge to tell him everything.

"Nate," She began. "I.. Well I've been thinking.. You.. I mean, I just.. Um.."

She bit her lip shyly.

He met her gaze and she felt a blush spreading across her cheeks.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't tell him.

"Caitlyn?" Nate prompted, sensing her hesitation. "What is it?"

He smiled, and Caitlyn felt her heart skip a beat.

She blushed again and looked down.

He would laugh at her, she knew he would.

Caitlyn faltered, trying to come up with a good excuse.

"Uh.. Never mind. I.. forgot."

Nate chuckled.

He touched her chin lightly and pulled her face up to his.

"You're not a very good liar, Caitlyn," he murmured, amused.

Caitlyn suddenly forgot how to breathe.

She peered up at him through her lashes, her pulse racing in anticipation.

Her eyes closed as Nate pressed his lips to hers.

His kiss was gentle, comforting.

All the painful memories of that day disappeared.

Caitlyn kissed him back, slowly at first, but gradually gaining in confidence.

Nate caressed her hair lightly and she felt a jolt of electricity run through her veins.

But as quickly as the kiss had begun, it was over.

Nate suddenly pulled away. An expression of shock spread over his face.

He stood up abruptly, mumbling apologies.

"Nate," Caitlyn said, her voice wavering in confusion. "What-"

She froze when Nate shook his head.

"No, Caitlyn. I shouldn't have done that."

Caitlyn got to her feet, reaching out to grab his hand.

"But I'm glad you did."

She squeezed his palm reassuringly and smiled happily at him.

Nate loosened himself from Caitlyn's grip, stepping back from her with a sigh.

"I'm not."

And with those final words, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the night.

Caitlyn stared after him in disbelief.

What had she done wrong?

With a weary moan, she rushed after him, wanting to put things right.

"Nate!" She called loudly as she spotted his shadow fading into the trees.

"Nate!" She yelled again.

Why didn't he stop?

"Don't follow me, Caitlyn."

The reply stunned her for a moment, and she stopped dead in her tracks.

Her mind was reeling.

What had just happened?

She didn't understand.

Why did Nate leave?

Is this what all guys do after they kiss someone?

Run away?

Caitlyn shook her head angrily, knowing it wasn't.

Caitlyn's vision clouded as her confusion turned to pain.

Whatever the reason was, it didn't take away from the cold hard truth: Nate had rejected her.

She lashed out unthinkingly, kicking her foot with unrestrained force at the nearest tree trunk. It collided with a dull thud, and she heard the crack before she felt it.

Caitlyn gasped.

Her sprained ankle.

She sunk to her knees, wanting to scream from the pain, but knowing that there was no point.

No one would come anyway.

No one would care.

She curled up in a weak ball, clutching her legs to her chest and letting the tears roll down her cheeks.

Her body shook with sobs.

It was hard to know whether it was the physical pain or the emotional pain that finally caused her to break down; maybe it was a combination of both.

She knew her ankle was now broken.

But through her tears, she refused to admit that maybe her heart was broken too.

* * *

**_A/N: A bit of romance for you, and I know you're all dying for some Smitchie! But Naitlyn will have to do for now... :D_**

**_Are you mad at Nate for leaving Caitlyn?_**

**_Or do you think that maybe he had a good reason?_**

**_OK, so I actually did a bit of research on Hypoxia, for reasons which you'll find out later.. _**

**_Mwahaha! XD But lets just say there is a LOT more drama to come. :D_**

**_Good news: My exams are officially OVER! =) And I am officially on holiday- Which means, I'll take less time to update!_**

**_Anyway, since the vote on whether you wanted Mitchie to live or die worked so well last time, I have a new one for you._**

**_I knew that most of you would want Mitchie to live, because she's nice and there wouldn't be any Smitchie without her! But what about Tess? She's been a royal pain in the butt, she was going to push Mitchie over the cliff, but she's having problems with her self esteem._**

**_Do you feel sorry for her, or not?_**

**_I WANT YOUR VOTE!_**

**_"TESS: Do you want her to live or die?"_**

**_Remember, it's up to you! Review, don't be lazy! :D It takes two seconds to answer that question, and I really want your opinion :D_**

**_For me? =)_**

**_Please :D_**

**_Don't think._**

**_Just do it._**

**_You know you want to! XD _**

**_Or if you don't, you know _**I**_ want you to!_**

**_Much thanks, you guys are the best, and your reviews make my day! =)_**

**_Hugs,_**

**_Kacee_**


	12. The Truth Hurts

_**

* * *

**_

A/N: Hello again!! =D Sorry this has taken soo long! I know I promised to update faster, but I forgot how super busy I was going to be last week.. I had EVERYTHING happening at once, it was absolutely insane XD

_**Dance concerts, drama concerts, school prizegiving, you name it... :)**_

_**But enough excuses! **_

_**It was quite a close vote between Tess living and dying, haha, some of your reviews made me laugh! Ahh, I love you guys!! XD**_

_**Anyway, lets find out what happens!**_

_**This chapter took me quite a while to write, so I hope you enjoy :)**_

**_DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything... Yet ;)_**

* * *

_**Chapter 13**_

_**The Truth Hurts**_

_That Same Night_

Tess glanced around the hospital room, breathing a sigh of frustration.

She hated this place.

It was so bland and boring.

Everything was white.

White walls, white sheets, white clothing.

It was too plain, too depressing; almost as if all the colour had been zapped from the world.

It felt that way to Tess, at least.

She didn't have flowers and cards scattered around her room like most people did.

There was nothing there to brighten her day as the hours ticked by and the sky darkened to black.

It was like a prison; and there was no way to escape.

There were no windows in the room she was in, just a single door which led out into the hallway.

There were probably hidden cameras monitoring the patients movements anyway, so even if they did try to run, they were bound to be stopped and returned by security guards within a matter of minutes.

_Not that I could escape anyway, _Tess thought bitterly.

Her legs were still so numb; they lay motionless, not responding to her feeble attempts to get them to move.

She doubted whether she could stand, let alone leap out of bed and walk out the door.

Just as she was contemplating other means of escape, there was a soft knock at the door.

Tess looked up.

_Mother?_

A man in a stiff white coat entered and Tess frowned in disappointment.

"Hello Tess," The doctor said lightly. "How're you feeling?"

Tess folded her arms across her chest and looked away.

"Great," She mumbled.

The doctor smiled, failing to pick up on the blatant sarcasm. "Excellent."

He cleared his throat, a serious expression now darkening his face. "I have some news for you Tess. We have the results of your tests back."

Tess sighed, remembering the hours of testing that had first taken place when she had arrived at the hospital.

She shivered, pulling the thin white sheet up to her chin for comfort.

She didn't want to know the results.

She didn't care what was wrong with her.

She just wanted to get out of here.

"Tess?" The doctor asked gently, interrupting her thoughts. "This may be a little hard for you to hear."

Tess ignored him, choosing to inspect her fingers instead.

The doctor frowned and continued.

"When you landed at the base of the cliff, you damaged the base of your spine, quite severely." He paused for a moment, watching Tess's expression. "This affected the nerve function in the lower half of your body, which is why you have no movement in your legs."

Tess squeezed her eyes shut. When she reopened them, her face was devoid of emotion.

"I'm paralysed?"

"From the waist down," The doctor informed her seriously.

Tess's mind was suddenly as numb as her legs.

She looked away, waiting for the news to sink in.

She knew she should be crying, but she didn't feel any sense of sadness or fear.

Just a deep calm that enveloped her whole body.

It was strange.

Why did she feel so blasé about it?

She was paralysed. She would never walk again.

Her dream of being a famous performer had suddenly been ripped to shreds; yet she was emotionless, acting as though she didn't care.

"It's possible that the paralysis is only temporary," The doctor told her, although his voice lacked confidence. "Many paraplegics lead full, happy lives. You're going to need a lot of help from friends and family Tess, but I am hopeful that you will regain some independence over time."

Tess nodded robotically, waiting for the doctor to continue.

"You're going to have to stay in hospital for a while longer, I'm afraid. We'll need to do constant check ups to make sure there is no further spinal damage, and to begin your rehabilitation."

Tess nodded once more, no longer paying much attention.

"The X-Ray showed that your leg is fractured in two places. So I guess you could say it's a good thing you're paralysed, isn't it? You don't feel any of the pain!"

The doctor laughed weakly.

Tess merely glared.

The dull feeling of calmness was beginning to ebb away.

Tears began to sting her eyes.

_How could being paralysed be a good thing?_

"The director of your camp came to visit earlier," The doctor said, noticing Tess's expression and tactfully changing the subject. "But you were sleeping."

Tess ignored him.

"Where's my mother?" She asked quietly.

"Your mother?" The doctor frowned, thoughtful. "Yes, TJ Tyler, isn't it? Wonderful performer."

Tess scowled at him, and he cleared his throat, regaining his composure.

"Ahh.. Well we haven't been able to get hold of her yet, unfortunately. Her secretary said that she had to leave the country urgently and won't be home until tomorrow. She put us in touch with your brother though," the doctor added when he saw Tess's gloomy expression. "He's on his way now."

Tess looked up sharply.

"You talked to David?"

The doctor nodded, raising his eyebrows.

"Is that a problem?"

Tess pursed her lips and looked away.

It had been years since she had last seen David. He had never gotten along with their mother, and as soon as he had turned 16, he had left home.

It suited her fine.

She liked being an only child.

She liked all of the attention that was suddenly lavished on her when he left.

Tess stared ahead uncertainly.

She wasn't sure if she wanted David back in her life.

There was a part of her that wanted to scream at the doctor to send him away when he arrived, but there was another part, a softer side of her, that wanted him to stay.

The doctor was eyeing Tess curiously.

"He should be here in a few hours. He sounded genuinely upset on the phone when he heard of your condition, Tess. He wants to see you."

Tess didn't reply.

_David wanted to see her?_

She let out a reluctant sigh, not trusting herself to speak. She knew she might say something that she would regret later.

The doctor smiled in encouragement.

"Have a think about it. I'll be back a bit later, Tess. It's been a long day for you, hasn't it? You need to rest."

As the doctor left, Tess felt the truth slowly begin to sink in.

She supposed it was shock that had kept her so cool and composed earlier, but now that she was alone, she could feel the hysteria beginning to take hold of her.

_She was paralysed, and she would never walk again..._

Tess gulped, and the tears began to fall.

* * *

_Early the next day_

"Hi Caitlyn!" A cheerful voice called from the trees.

Caitlyn looked up, her heart pounding.

_Nate?_

Jason entered the clearing, holding a small birdhouse in his triumphant hands.

Caitlyn tried to hide her disappointment. She sniffed, squeezing her eye's shut and pressing her fingers to her temple.

Her head was throbbing.

She let out a slow breath and looked up at Jason through red rimmed eyes.

He was staring at her, his mouth open wide in surprise.

She knew she must look terrible.

Her hair was a mess, and her eyes had dark circles under them; she hadn't gotten much sleep last night.

"What happened to you?" Jason asked, looking at her curiously.

"Umm.. Nothing, Jason. I'm just tired. I had a rough day yesterday."

Jason walked closer to Caitlyn, his expression sceptical.

"Does this have anything to do with Nate?" He asked slowly.

Caitlyn sighed.

Jason was obviously more intelligent than she gave him credit for.

"It does, doesn't it!" Jason cried triumphantly when she didn't reply.

Caitlyn bit her lip, finally giving in with a small nod.

"You look sad," Jason said, his expression turning downcast. "What did Nate do?"

A tear rolled down Caitlyn's cheek, and she hurriedly wiped it away, hoping that Jason wouldn't notice.

He did.

"You're crying!" Jason gasped.

The birdhouse slipped from his grasp and lay temporarily forgotten on the ground as he rushed to embrace her.

"Don't cry, Caitlyn," He said worriedly, flinging his arms around her in a bear hug so tight that it was impossible to breathe. "I don't like it when people cry!"

"I'm sorry," Caitlyn murmured breathlessly when Jason finally released her.

"What for?"

"For crying."

"Oh." Jason shrugged, but suddenly looked thoughtful. "Hey, did you hear about Tess?"

Caitlyn wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks and shook her head.

"What? You haven't heard?" Jason gasped, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

Caitlyn frowned in confusion.

"No. What's wrong with her?"

There was a tense silence.

"She's paralysed," Jason finally blurted.

"What?" Caitlyn gulped, her eyes crinkling with concern. "Tess is paralysed? Oh no. How bad is it?"

"Bad," Jason replied seriously. "Brown said from the waist down."

"Oh my gosh," Caitlyn covered her mouth with her hands. "That's horrible."

"Yeah," Jason agreed. He fidgeted with his hands for a moment, looking uncomfortable.

"Uh, can we change the subject now? All this talk about crying and hospitals is making me sad. Lets talk about something happy!"

He grinned and clapped his hands together.

"I came to show you my birdhouse, Caitlyn! I finished it!"

He pointed enthusiastically towards the small object on the ground.

"Do you like it? Oh! Do you have a bird that needs a new home?"

Jason was suddenly excited; stringing his sentences together, shouting one random thing after another.

His eyes were wide with delight, and he was hopping up and down like a little child at Christmas time.

It was as though he had forgotten everything he had just said.

_Tess was paralysed._

_How could he act so happy?_

Caitlyn's head was throbbing.

"Jason," She sighed. "It's a nice bird house, and thanks for trying to cheer me up, but I kind of just want to be by myself right now."

Jason looked stunned for a moment, freezing in mid bounce.

"Oh. Um, ok." He scratched his head in confusion.

There was an awkward silence.

"Oh. You want me to leave?" Jason asked Caitlyn in surprise.

Caitlyn nodded sadly.

"I'm sorry."

Jason shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's OK. I get that a lot."

He retrieved his birdhouse from the ground, pausing to gaze at her for a moment before he left.

His eyes were creased with worry, and he looked reluctant to leave her alone.

She knew that Jason wasn't as clueless as he sometimes appeared.

It was obvious that he knew more about what had happened the night before with Nate than he was letting on.

Caitlyn waved at him, attempting a weak smile.

Jason returned the wave, and disappeared reluctantly into the trees.

Caitlyn knew her smile hadn't convinced him.

He was worried about her.

Caitlyn sighed, sinking back into her thoughts.

Her mind flickered automatically to Nate, and the tears began to fall.

This time, she didn't bother to wipe them away.

There was no one around to see her anyway; no one to hide her pain from.

Caitlyn sobbed freely, giving in to her emotions and burying her face in her hands.

There was no point in pretending that she was okay anymore.

She had to face the truth: Nate didn't want her. He had rejected her.

And the truth hurt.

* * *

Shane was exhausted.

He had stayed overnight at the hospital, hoping to hear more news about Mitchie.

But there had been nothing.

"No change."

That was all they would tell him.

And it was driving him crazy.

He needed Mitchie.

He wanted to see her face, touch her hand; anything to set his mind at rest.

But it was impossible when the nurses kept refusing to let him in.

Why wouldn't they let anyone see her?

Something wasn't right.

Shane knew that he wasn't a blood relative, and that family had first priority, but the doctors wouldn't even let Connie and Steve in to see Mitchie.

He shivered.

The thought of Mitchie lying in a hospital bed, alone, connected to a thousand tubes and wires made his heart ache.

He needed to see her.

Shane sighed in frustration and glanced around.

He was alone in the hospital waiting room.

Mitchie's father, Steve, had arrived in the middle of the night, and he and Connie had just gone to the cafeteria to get something to eat.

Shane had informed them that he wasn't hungry, and that he wanted to stay in case there was any more news on Mitchie's condition.

But he had a different idea in mind.

He took one last glance around him to make sure that no one was watching, before slipping noiselessly down the corridor.

He tiptoed towards the office, praying that he could slink by unnoticed.

Luck was with him.

Shane breathed a sigh of relief as he passed the nurses in white coats; they had their backs turned to him and seemed to be engrossed in conversation.

He veered down a different corridor, walking quickly and continuing to look behind him to check that he hadn't been spotted.

He wasn't supposed to be down in this part of the hospital.

The doctor had told him that it was off limits, but Shane didn't care. He just wanted to see Mitchie.

Last night, he had taken a quick look at the doctors clipboard, which contained Mitchie's details and information.

There hadn't been enough time to have a good look, but there was one thing which had stuck in his brain.

The room number.

439.

He smiled smugly.

_That's where Mitchie is._

_And if that's where Mitchie is, then that's where I'm going to be too._

Shane continued down the corridor, following the numbers on the doors.

He wasn't completely sure where he was going, but he knew Mitchie's room had to be around here somewhere.

Brushing his hair nervously from his face, he rounded another corner and glanced at the number on the first door.

Room 420.

He was getting closer now.

Shane looked around anxiously.

It was almost eerie how quiet it was down this part of the hospital.

There wasn't another soul in sight.

There were no noises, apart from the light scuffing of his own feet on the floor.

If Shane didn't know better, he would have thought that the hospital was empty.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, he heard the sound of faint footsteps in the distance.

He froze.

_Uh-Oh._

Someone was coming.

What would happen if the hospital staff caught him down here?

Whatever it was, he didn't want to stay and find out.

He grabbed the nearest door handle and wrenched it open, quickly letting himself inside and closing the door behind him.

Shane squeezed his eyes shut and leaned up against the wall, breathing heavily.

The footsteps were louder now.

They stopped for a moment, as though listening for something, but promptly continued and faded into the distance.

Shane opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

That was close.

He blinked rapidly and looked around.

White walls surrounded him on all sides and the smell of disinfectant was overwhelming.

Shane wrinkled his nose.

Where was he?

A very sick looking patient hooked up to a machine was staring at him nervously.

"Oh, sorry.." Shane mumbled. "Is this your room? I was just.. Ah.. Looking for a friend of mine.."

The patient propped himself up higher in his hospital bed, still watching him suspiciously. Shane saw him reach toward a small red button on the wall.

"No!" Shane cried.

The emergency button. He guessed that the guy thought he was some crazy loon that had escaped from the mental department.

Shane sighed wearily and moved closer to the patient, trying his best to look sane.

"No! Please don't! I'm sorry for disturbing you. I.. I'm going to go now.."

Shane raised his hands above his head in surrender and backed slowly towards the door.

If the guy pressed that button, the hospital staff would find him in a second.

And then, they'd probably _never _let him in to see Mitchie.

* * *

**_A/N: So what did you think? Do you want more?? ;)_**

**_Tess is paralyzed. Do you think it serves her right? Or do you feel sorry for her?_**

**_As I mentioned earlier, the votes were close between whether she should live or die, but you'll find out in future chapters! :D_**

**_So I decided that in this story, Tess has an older brother. I wanted to bring an OC in, because I'm getting some new ideas about ways to bring more drama into the story.._**

**_Mwahaha, after all, you all LOVE drama, don't you??! XD_**

**_I finished this quite late at night. I don't usually write at night time, because my brains a bit slow then, but I was dying to get the next chapter up and not keep you guys waiting any longer! :)_**

**_Thanks for your reviews, please continue and keep them coming, it helps me to update faster, and I like hearing your ideas and opinions!_**

**_OK, NEW VOTE:_**

**_Should the patient press the button?_**

**_Or do you want Shane to find Mitchie????_**

**_VOTE NOW! XD_**

**_Please?_**

**_Two seconds of your time, and YOUR. VOTE. COUNTS!_**

**_:D_**

**_Many hugs!  
Kacee_**


	13. Gone

_A/N: Aarrrgghhhhh!_

**_*Kacee's grumpy face_**_*_

_This chapter would have been up earlier, if my LOVELY computer didn't choose to FREEZE on me, when I was in the middle of writing it._

_Thankyou computer! *_**_Glares sarcastically_**_*_

_You have just made my day. No no wait! My week._

**_*Threatens to throw computer out of the window_**_*_

_Haha, only kidding. :)_

_Anyway, thank you to my lovely readers and reviewers, for being your brilliant selves and continuing to review my story!_

_And another thank you for all your votes, again, it was very close ;)_

_Chapter 13, oohhh, hope you guys aren't superstitious.._

_I have a feeling that after reading this chapter, you are all going to kill me._

_Are you curious why?_

_Then read on, by all means!_

_Although *_**_Evil laughter*, you may regret it!!_**

**Mwahahaha!**

**Disclaimer: I keep forgetting to put these things in. So don't sue me! Because I admit, that sadly, I do not own any of the characters.. Except David, who is the product of my own imagination.. :)**

* * *

"Damn it!" Shane cried as the patient's finger hit the button.

He only had a few seconds to get out of here.

Shane wrenched the door open, cursing under his breath as he tore down the hallway, looking desperately for Room 439.

He had come this far; he wasn't about to give up now.

If the hospital staff were on their way, then this was his last chance to see Mitchie.

Once they found him, he would be kicked out for sure.

"Stupid rules," Shane muttered angrily.

Why couldn't they just let him in to see her in the first place?

If they had, none of this would've happened, and he wouldn't be seconds away from getting caught for trespassing in private hospital corridors.

He glanced back over his shoulder, slowing his pace when he saw that he wasn't being followed.

Yet.

That was a relief, but still, something wasn't right.

Family and friends would normally have been allowed in to see the patient instantly, so why were they still refusing to let anyone in to see Mitchie?

It had been almost a day.

The doctor hadn't convinced him with his rubbish about 'tests'.

Shane knew that Mitchie was here somewhere, and he was going to find her.

Room 439.

He skidded to a stop in front of it, breathing heavily.

After looking from side to side to check that he was still alone, Shane eased the door open and stepped inside.

Finally.

He was going to see Mitchie.

Shane closed the door behind him and glanced anxiously towards the bed; but he wasn't prepared for what he was about to find…

* * *

Caitlyn was still sitting in the same place. Her legs were pulled close to her body, and her arms were wrapped around them tightly; almost as though she was afraid to let go.

She rocked herself back and forth, letting her mind go numb as she focused on the slow rhythm.

It was soothing.

It helped her to forget.

A figure was standing in the clearing, just in front of the trees, silently watching her.

She didn't notice.

The figure called her name and walked towards her.

She still didn't notice.

It wasn't until the figure lightly touched her arm that she snapped out of her reverie, and noticed.

Perhaps it was the curly brown hair, falling casually over the figure's forehead which brought Caitlyn back to some sense of reality.

She knew that person.

"Nate?" Caitlyn murmured.

Her voice was dull, expressionless.

"Jason told me you were here," Nate said, watching her with concern. "Caitlyn, what have you been doing? You look terrible. Have you been awake all night?"

"Why would you care?" Caitlyn asked quietly.

Nate looked shocked for a moment.

"You don't think I care about you?" He returned, hurt.

Caitlyn didn't reply.

"Look," Nate muttered. "If this is about last night, I… I'm sorry. I can explain."

"I don't want to hear it."

"Caitlyn…" Nate sighed. "Don't make this any harder than it already is."

"Just leave me alone."

Nate was watching Caitlyn closely. Her eyes were plagued with dark circles, and her expression was bland and lifeless.

He felt a sharp pang of guilt.

"Jason told me you were depressed, but I didn't really believe him," Nate admitted softly.

Caitlyn felt her eyes fill with tears.

"Don't cry," Nate begged, reaching out to brush the single tear that was now trickling down her cheek. "Please don't cry, Caitlyn."

Caitlyn pulled away, cringing at his touch.

"Get away from me."

Nate's eyes widened.

"What? Caitlyn, I'm not going to hurt you."

He reached out reassuringly to touch her hand, but Caitlyn leapt unsteadily to her feet. She suddenly remembered her broken ankle, but too late.

As she shifted her weight onto it, a sharp burst of pain shot through her foot, and she cried out in agony, collapsing to the ground.

"Caitlyn?" Nate cried, his voice ringing with alarm.

She was rolling on the ground in distress, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Nate knelt over her, attempting to hold her still.

"Stop moving! You'll only make it worse!"

Caitlyn didn't hear him, or if she did, she paid no attention.

Nate held her arms down firmly.

"Caitlyn!" He shouted anxiously. "Stop it! Tell me what's wrong."

Caitlyn shuddered at his touch, trying to pull away from him, but he responded by gripping her tighter.

"Ow! Get off me!" Caitlyn cried, but her mind was so blurred with pain that she didn't hear his response.

Her broken ankle was throbbing unbearably.

She screwed up her face in anguish.

"Nate," Caitlyn groaned. "Just go away!"

Nate responded by scooping her up in his arms.

"Hey! Put me down!"

"Look, we can argue later. Right now, I'm taking you to the doctor."

Caitlyn winced in response, muttering objections under her breath.

Nate sighed.

_Why did he have the feeling that this was going to be another long day?_

_

* * *

_

Tess watched her brother enter her hospital room with a sour expression on her face.

Obviously, Tess Tyler was back to her usual self.

She had no more tears left to cry, having seemingly run her whole supply dry an hour ago when she had first heard the news that she was paralyzed.

She winced at the word.

Paralyzed.

It was something that she hadn't wanted to hear, and still refused to accept.

Tess blinked and glared at David, who had frozen in the doorway, and was staring at her as though she had just sprouted three heads.

"Hi Tess," David greeted her cautiously.

It had been years since she had last seen him. He was nineteen now, yet Tess would've recognised him anywhere.

Maybe it was the blonde hair, so similar to her own, that was tousled so effortlessly that even she herself was jealous.

Maybe it was the handsome features; the chiselled jawline, defined cheekbones, masculine physique.

She pursed her lips together, her gaze moving to his face.

Or maybe it was the eyes.

He had her fathers' eyes; everyone said so. Dark and intense, with just a twinkle of impishness that most girls found impossible to resist.

Tess shuddered with hatred as she thought of her father.

Maybe that was why she felt so hostile towards David at the moment: He reminded her so much of their dad.

Dad.

Tess was disgusted at the thought.

She would never, could never, call her father Dad.

Not anymore.

Not after what he had done to her.

"How are you, Tess?" David asked quietly, snapping her out of her thoughts.

He was walking towards her now, and Tess could see every line, every detail of his face.

David looked a lot older than he had the last time she had seen him.

His face was creased with worry, and he was watching her with an expression that she couldn't quite read.

Curiosity?

Sympathy?

Tess realized she hadn't answered his question, but she didn't feel the need to.

She was locked up in a hospital, paralyzed for life.

What did he expect her to say?

_"Oh, I'm great thanks David. Never been better. And you?"_

Tess looked at her brother with unsupressed desdain, and was pleased when he looked hurt.

"Tess, I've come all this way to see you, and you won't even say hello?"

He shook his head sadly when she didn't reply.

"I know I've been gone for a while, but I thought that everything could just be the same as it used to be, you know? Me and you, we used to be like this." He crossed his middle and index finger together, and held them up wistfully. "Remember?"

Tess did remember.

Before he had left, they had been close.

Before he had left, she had considered her brother as one of her best friends.

Tess ignored the voice in her head that whispered, _"One of my only friends."_

But so what if they had been close?

The fact was, those days were over.

They weren't close anymore.

"Tess, just talk to me," He pleaded.

Tess sighed in exasperation.

"Fine. What do you want?" She snapped.

David looked stunned.

He stuttered for a moment, his usual charisma noticeably absent.

He wasn't used to people talking to him so rudely, especially his own sister.

"I.. Uhh.." His voice trailed off, and a long silence followed.

"Have you heard from Mom?" David asked finally.

Tess glared at him.

"What do you think?"

David sighed, and looked at his sister with fresh sympathy in his eyes.

"I take it that you haven't?"

Tess nodded stiffly, but refused to say anything more.

"She's still too busy being wrapped up in her own career to take any notice of you, then?"

Tess blushed crimson and looked down at the floor.

"She hasn't changed at all," David murmured in disgust when Tess didn't reply. "Her daughter's paralyzed for life, yet she'd rather attend a red carpet event than visit her in hospital."

David seemed to be talking to himself now. His tone was bitter, disbelieving.

It brought back memories of three years ago, when there had been so much tension and arguments between David and their mother.

Tears were stinging Tess's eyes now.

She didn't want to think about the past.

It was too painful. Everything that had happened: Between her mother and David, between her and her father…

Tess shuddered.

It was still too fresh in her memory.

She could just make out the shape of her paralyzed legs beneath the sheet.

It brought Tess back to reality, and she winced at the sudden thought.

_She didn't want to think about her future, either._

Tess looked up, and noticed that David was watching her intently.

"What about Dad?" He asked, his voice still cold. "He hasn't turned up either?"

Tess shook her head.

"Thank God," She muttered.

David frowned in confusion.

"You don't want him to come?"

Tess raised her eyebrows.

Of course.

David didn't know.

It had happened after he had left home.

He would be furious if he knew what their father had done to her.

But she wasn't going to tell him, no way.

He wouldn't believe her if she did.

Tess shivered.

"Did you and Dad have a falling out?" David asked suspiciously.

Tess bit her lip, and nodded.

_One little lie wouldn't hurt him, would it?_

David seemed to accept that.

"Oh, well okay…"

He paused for a moment, watching his sister curiously.

"So, you're still going to that camp you used to go to when you were younger then? Camp Rock, or whatever it's called?"

Tess nodded.

"Is that where it happened?" David asked hesitantly, looking down at Tess's legs.

Tess looked away.

She knew that David would bring this up sooner or later.

A dim lighbulb blinked on in her head.

_Perhaps this is my chance to get some revenge,_ she thought suddenly. _Payback, for what's happened to me. For everything that's gone wrong in my life._

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

_So I didn't kill Mitchie when I'd had the chance, but maybe there's another way to do it; a better way to hurt her. _

Tess smiled at the thought of it.

_After all; pain didn't have to be physical._

"The doctor said that you fell over a cliff?" David prompted.

Now was her chance.

Tess sighed, and reluctantly looked up at him.

Her eyes were expressionless.

"I didn't fall," she whispered.

David frowned in confusion.

"But.." He gestured towards her legs, which lay motionless under the white sheet. "You're…Paralyzed." He winced as he said it.

Tess nodded slowly.

"I didn't fall," She repeated, her eyes now hard and cold.

She paused for dramatic effect, before uttering the three words that she knew would change her life forever.

"I was pushed."

* * *

Caitlyn sat stonily on the bed in her cabin, her broken ankle now wrapped in a white cast and propped up against a chair.

She refused to look at Nate, who was watching her worriedly.

"Hows your ankle?" He asked.

Caitlyn scowled and ignored him.

She didn't know why he had gone to all of this trouble for her: Taking her to the doctor, waiting while they put a cast on her foot, driving her back to Camp and staying with her in the cabin.

Why was Nate acting like he cared about her, when his actions of last night made it quite obvious that he didn't?

"Are you still ignoring me?" Nate asked in exasperation.

Her silence was enough to answer his question.

"God, Caitlyn," He fumed. "I'm sorry all right? What else do you want me to say?"

There was a tense silence.

"Just go away, Nate," Caitlyn muttered.

Nate was watching her with disgust.

"That's the way you treat people? 'Go away Nate'? After everything I've done for you today, you haven't said so much as a thankyou. What's your problem, Caitlyn?"

Angry tears stung Caitlyn's eyes.

She swung around to face Nate, her eyes full of hurt.

"My problem?" She spat, shaking her head. "It's not me with the problem."

Nate groaned.

"If this is about last night, I've already offered to explain. You're still made at me, aren't you? For leaving?"

Caitlyn shook her head, but her expression said otherwise.

"Caitlyn, I would've stayed with you!" Nate shouted. He blushed, and his voice became suddenly gentle. "Believe it or not, I wanted to stay with you…"

Caitlyn met his eyes, the disbelief clear on her face.

Her voice was suddenly quivering. There was an edge of desperation to it, so that it became almost a plea.

"Then why didn't you?" She whispered, trembling. "Why didn't you stay, Nate?"

"I… I…" Nate looked away from her, shaking his head. "You're going to hate me for this. But.. I.."

"Just say it, Nate."

Nate sighed.

"I already have a girlfriend," He admitted shamefacedly.

* * *

Shane stared around the hospital room, his mouth wide with disbelief.

The bed was empty.

Shane blinked in confusion.

He must be in the wrong room.

He glanced nervously at the number plate on the door.

439.

Shane bit his lip, unsure of himself.

Maybe he'd seen the wrong number on the doctors' clipboard.

Maybe he'd made a mistake.

But when he saw the card on the bedside table, he knew he hadn't.

He walked over to it and picked it up, his hands quivering.

It was adressed to Mitchie Torres, a 'Get well soon' card, and Shane noticed that it was from Brown.

He put the card back down and looked around, his hands on his hips.

So this was definitely Mitchie's room.

The only problem was, where was Mitchie?

His eyes were drawn to the clipboard beside the card.

He squinted at it.

And suddenly he couldn't breathe.

It was the first few words that caught his eye, and once he had read those, he knew there was no need to read anything else.

_Patient deceased._

Shane blinked furiously.

He read the words again, praying that he was dreaming; that this was by some chance just a figment of his imagination.

But it was there, in black and white.

_Patient deceased._

Shane felt the lump rise in his throat.

He squeezed his eyes shut, to stop the tears that were now building up behind his eyelids.

No.. It couldn't be true! This wasn't real. Mitchie couldn't be.. dead? Could she?

He opened his eyes, and looked from the empty bed to the clipboard with those two fateful words on it.

_Patient deceased._

Shane felt sick to his stomach.

He flung the clipboard furiously against the wall; it collided with a sharp thud, but Shane barely heard it.

So the doctors had lied to him.

Anger was coursing through his veins, but it was shadowed by the immense feelings of hurt and betrayal that he felt.

Why had they pretended that Mitchie was still alive?

Why had they hid the truth from him, and Mitchie's family?

Shane was breathing heavily now, trying to make sense of it all.

He could hear footsteps in the distance.

As he glanced towards the doorway, a sudden thought struck him.

Maybe they hadn't hidden it from Mitchie's family; maybe everyone already knew.

Maybe they had just hidden it from _him, _because they knew he couldn't take it.

They knew that he would blame himself.

Shane opened his eyes.

Realization hit him like a slap on the face.

Suddenly it all made sense.

His vision was blurred; he could feel the hot tears now streaking down his cheeks.

This is why Connie and Steve had barely talked to him, why they had looked so sympathetic when Shane kept bugging the doctors and nurses about Mitchie's condition, why they had appeared so fragile and helpless as they had left to go to the cafeteria.

They had already known.

This is why the doctors refused to let anyone visit Mitchie.

Why they kept lying to him about her condition, saying there was 'no change', that she was still having tests done.

They had already known.

Shane looked around the room, shaking.

This is why Mitchie's bed was empty.

He felt suddenly light headed.

His legs buckled beneath him, and he collapsed into a weak huddle on the floor.

Shane felt like his world had just crumbled into a million pieces, right before his eyes.

He didn't want to accept it, even though deep down he knew it was true.

The one thing he had feared the most had happened.

Mitchie was gone.

In his mind, pictures flashed.

_Mitchie on the canoe, smiling and laughing._

_Mitchie after Tess had exposed her lie to all of the campers, pleading with him, close to tears._

_Mitchie lying on the ground in the forest, fragile and lifeless._

_Mitchie being carried away in the stretcher, unconscious, close to death._

That had been the last time Shane had seen her.

Shane was crying now, but he didn't care.

He was too lost in his own emotions to realize that the footsteps were getting louder now, getting closer.

All he could think about was Mitchie.

He hadn't expected it to end. He hadn't expected her to leave without saying goodbye.

The same thought kept repeating itself over and over in his mind with unrelenting force.

Mitchie was gone…

Gone…

Gone…

Her face kept intruding into his memory.

Shane tried to block it out, but at the same time, he welcomed it.

It made his heart ache for her.

That long dark hair, calm doe eyes, sweet tinkling laugh..

Gone.

All gone.

Shane gasped for air.

It felt like he was being slowly suffocated; someone had taken away all of the oxygen in his body, and now he couldn't breathe.

He wanted more than anything to see Mitchie, one last time, to say how sorry he was for listening to Tess; for acting like a jerk; for not being able to save her when he found her unconscious in the forest; for never telling her how much he liked her when he had the chance.

Because now, it was too late.

There was no Mitchie, anymore.

Shane was trembling, hot tears of disbelief streaming down his cheeks.

Mitchie was gone.

* * *

_**A/N: THE END.**_

_**XD No, only kidding!**_

_**I wouldn't do that to you guys! :D**_

_**I can tell you, this story is nowhere near finished yet.**_

_**Now, I know you're probably reading this and fuming, thinking of new and exciting ways to kill me ;)**_

_**And I'm sorry.**_

_**I honestly wasn't planning this to happen.**_

_**I guess I was a bit grumpy with my computer for freezing and crashing in the middle of the chapter, and so I decided to take it out on the characters..**_

_**Yeah, that's my excuse! :)**_

_**But anyway, it's not all over yet.**_

_**You can put everything right again, if that's what you want!**_

_**You have all the power now!**_

_**All you have to do is press that little button that says REVIEW, and vote!**_

_**DO YOU WANT MITCHIE TO BE DEAD?**_

_**OR DO YOU WANT HER TO BE ALIVE?**_

_**I can either let the story continue like this, or put in a twist so that Mitchie is still living...**_

_**Mwahaha!**_

_**Gawd, I'm evil..**_

_**What do you think?**_

_**SHOULD CAITLYN BE MAD AT NATE?**_

_**OR SHOULD SHE FORGIVE HIM?**_

_**You get a cookie if you can guess what Tess's father did to her! :D**_

_**Also, are you mad at Tess? For lying, and saying that she was pushed?**_

_**Can you imagine whats going to happen next?**_

_**Will the police get involved?**_

_**Remember, I am leaving what happens in the next chapter up to you.**_

_**If you don't want other bad and terrible things to happen, I suggest you vote! ;)**_

_**Right, well I'm off to find a nice, safe hiding place, where you guys can't reach me with your pitchforks and other sharp objects.. XD**_

_**Press the button down below, and let me know what you thought of this chapter.**_

_**And Vote!**_

_**Takes you two seconds!**_

_**Oh, and can I just add, that if you want Mitchie to live, bribing me with cookies works SLIGHTLY better than death threats! XD**_

_**Hugs,**_

_**Kacee**_


	14. Everything

**_A/N: I'm Ba-ack! : ) Hello again! Thanks for voting and reviewing!_**

**_You guys have some great ideas! :D  
_**

**_Most of you wrote such long reviews, and I read every single one of them, you guys are awesome!_**

**_Some of you thought the whole Shane/Mitchie thing at the end was sad, but a few of you thought that it was funny!_**

**_That had me a bit confused, because it wasn't supposed to be funny, but if you laughed, at least the chapter kept you entertained, right? ; )_**

**_Geeze, I thought you guys would want to kill me, and I wasn't wrong! XD  
_**

**_A few of you were really nice about it, some mixed death threats in with cookie bribes, and one even told me that the awful truth was that if I killed Mitchie, this story would suck._**

**_Well, lets see how much this story sucks then, shall we? ;)_**

**_Read on and enjoy!_**

**_

* * *

  
_**

Shane didn't have the energy to stand.

He lay restlessly on the floor of Mitchie's room, his head throbbing and the tears still rolling down his cheeks.

Mitchie was gone.

He was so immersed in his own grief that he didn't hear the footsteps increasing in volume, getting closer every second.

Finally the footsteps stopped, and the only thing that could be heard was the sound of Shane's ragged breathing.

"So you know," a loud voice boomed.

Shane didn't move from his position on the floor.

"Mitchie's dead," the voice continued ruthlessly, and Shane felt fresh tears stinging his eyes.

_No._

_No, she wasn't._

_She couldn't be._

"She's gone Shane."

Shane froze.

Wait.

He knew that voice.

He looked up into the eyes of Tess Tyler, and anger bubbled in his veins when he saw that she was smiling.

The anger overcame his grief, and he pushed himself up into a sitting position, his eyes blazing.

"You!" He spat, watching Tess furiously.

Tess smirked, and flicked her blonde hair away from her face.

Even in a wheelchair, she was still the same old Tess.

"Of course," Tess drawled, now playing with a strand of blonde hair and watching Shane with a malicious grin.

"It was me."

It took Shane a minute to understand.

When he did, the sheer anger that was already reverberating through his body doubled.

"You- I.. How-"

The words wouldn't come out the way he wanted them to.

He glanced at the person standing next to Tess and recognized Mitchie's doctor.

Shane struggled with his confusion for a moment before directing his attention back to Tess.

"You- you killed her." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Shane already knew the answer.

Tess's smile widened and she nodded.

"I had to, Shane. Don't you understand? Now we can be together! Just you and me."

Shane felt sick.

He narrowed his eyes; his vision clouded with fury.

So he had been wrong all along.

Mitchie hadn't died from her illness; she had been murdered.

Shane shuddered, unable to keep the violent images from invading his mind.

And that was why no one had wanted to tell him the truth.

Why they had kept him in the dark for so long.

Because they knew that once Shane found out, he would want to kill Tess Tyler.

And they had been right.

"You knew about this?" Shane demanded, looking at the doctor.

The doctor gave a small nod.

Shane balled his fists and advanced on Tess, his anger so immense that he would have killed her right then and there.

But just at that moment, the ground began shaking.

Shane was thrown off balance; everything around him was uplifted.

There were screams everywhere.

The hospital bed was thrown on its side, the bedside table smashed against the wall.

A deep rumbling came from the ground, and the floor continued to shake.

Shane could hear voices calling his name, but they seemed to be coming from somewhere a long distance away.

"Shane! Shane!"

As the voices got louder, his surroundings began to fade.

Shane wondered briefly if he was dying.

Was this what it felt like to die?

And, as though in answer to his question, everything went black...

* * *

"Shane!"

"Shane!!"

The voices were echoing strangely.

"Shane!"

The shaking began again, more vehement this time.

"Shane!"

Shane sighed and felt his eyelids flicker open.

Connie was standing in front of him, her hands on his shoulders, shaking him awake.

"Mmm.. What?" Shane murmured, squinting up at her.

"Sorry for waking you," Connie said in a motherly voice. "We can go in to see Mitchie now."

Shane wiped the back of his hand across his forehead; his face was covered in sweat.

"What? We can see her?" Shane blinked in confusion, memories of Tess's conniving smirk still raw in his mind. "In the.. In the morgue?"

Connie looked horrified.

"The morgue? No, no. In the hospital room."

Shane's head was pounding.

The hospital room?

Shane tried to clear his thoughts.

He was curled up awkwardly on one of the hard sofa's in the hospital waiting room.

His back was stiff from being in the same position for too long, and he rubbed his eyes wearily.

His sleep had been uncomfortable, to say the least.

Shane knew he should've listened to his uncle and stayed back at Camp for the night, but he had been stubborn about that.

He had wanted to be as close to Mitchie as possible, so he had curled up on a couch in the hospital waiting room.

That had been last night. The sun was blaring through the windows now, and Shane blinked at the sudden brightness.

It must be morning.

"Are you all right, Shane?" Connie asked, watching him with concern.

"Yeah," Shane sighed.

Images of the empty hospital bed, and the clipboard with those two fateful words on it were embedded in his memory.

He had to get a hold of himself.

It had been a dream, that was all.

Just a dream.

"Mitchie's alive?" He asked hesitantly.

Connie looked stunned for a moment. She nodded, then looked at Shane worriedly.

"Did you have a nightmare?" She asked, her voice sympathetic.

Shane flushed, and got unsteadily to his feet.

"Yeah, you could say that."

* * *

"What?!" Tess cried, looking at her brother with horror. "You called the police?"

David frowned in confusion.

"Of course I did."

Tess's face turned pale.

"Why would you do that, David?" She asked her brother furiously.

"Tess," David said with sudden agitation. "You were pushed off a cliff. That's a crime! Those kids could go to prison for doing that to you, and if they're not found guilty, we'll sue them for attempted murder."

Tess bit her lip.

"But they'll just say that they didn't do it! They'll lie, and say that.. I don't know, I tripped or something!"

David smiled grimly.

"No one will believe them. Trust me. They're just a bunch of stupid snotty nosed teenagers. None of them come from a background like yours, Tess. Once they find out that you're a Tyler, the case will be pretty much closed."

Tess still didn't look convinced.

"Tess," Her brother said soothingly. "Don't worry about it. This will all sort itself out. All you need to concentrate on is getting yourself better."

Tess ignored him.

"When are the police coming?" She asked moodily.

"Soon, I think. They want to interview you. You know, get your side of the story."

Tess folded her arms across her chest and pouted.

"Has Mum arrived yet?"

David sighed and looked at his sister sympathetically.

"Not yet. I've tried ringing her, but she's not answering her cell phone."

Tess rolled her eyes and slumped down further in her hospital bed.

"Whatever. Go away now, David. I want to get some sleep."

David nodded calmly, tousling his blonde hair with his hand.

"OK, Tess. But if you need anything, I'll be just a phone call away, alright?"

"Yeah, whatever," Tess mumbled, closing her eyes and trying to lull herself into sleep.

She wished David hadn't come.

He was a nuisance.

She thought her plan had been full proof, but she hadn't guessed that her brother would call the police.

Now she was going to have to come up with a really good story, or else nobody would believe her.

And if nobody believed her, _she'd _end up being the one behind bars.

Tess winced at the thought.

Her eyes hardened suddenly.

There was no way that she was going to let that happen.

* * *

"Caitlyn, just say something!" Nate pleaded, unnerved by her stony silence.

Caitlyn looked up at Nate with disgust.

"You already have a girlfriend?" she asked him harshly.

Nate nodded, trying to look meek and remorseful.

"I'm sorry, but I really-"

"Nate, I don't want to hear your excuses," Caitlyn said with revulsion. "Go back to your girlfriend. If she still wants you after what you've done."

"Caitlyn," Nate gulped. "You don't understand! I didn't want to.. Uh.. cheat on her. But she.. And you.." He sighed as a blush crept across his cheeks. "I really like you."

"Imagine how your girlfriend would feel if she heard you saying all of this stuff to me! Just leave, Nate."

"N-No.." Nate stuttered, trying to sound confident. "I'm not leaving until I hear you say it too."

"Say what?"

"Say that you like me!"

Caitlyn sighed and looked away.

"I used to like you, Nate. But not anymore. I could never like someone who cheats on their girlfriend and doesn't even feel guilty. Imagine if we went out! You'd be making out with girls left, right and center. How do you think I'd feel? To know my boyfriend was playing around?"

"But, it's not like that, Caitlyn!" Nate said weakly. "I would never cheat on you."

"Is that what you told your girlfriend too?"

Nate sighed in frustration.

"Emma and I.. We haven't been dating for long. It's nothing serious."

"That doesn't make it any better."

"Caitlyn! I'm sorry, alright? What else do you want me to say?"

Nate looked down at his shoes with a sigh.

There was a tense silence for a moment.

"God, I've made a mess of all this."

Caitlyn nodded sadly.

"Yeah, you have."

When Nate's eyes met Caitlyn's, there was a silence which seemed to drag on for forever.

Finally, Nate broke it.

"I'll leave now, if that's what you want."

Caitlyn nodded but didn't say anything.

Her eyes followed Nate as he made his way to the cabin door.

"I hope your ankle gets better, Caitlyn. And I'm sorry. For.. Everything."

Nate sighed sadly and with one last glance at Caitlyn, left the room.

* * *

Shane took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the hospital room.

Nervous butterflies fluttered in his stomach.

Finally, he was going to see Mitchie.

He shut the door gently behind him and walked slowly towards the bed.

Mitchie lay pale and motionless. A million tubes and wires were attached to her body, hooked up to different machines.

Shane jumped nervously as the heart monitor beeped.

He flushed.

Why was he so jittery?

Shane tried to shake away his nervousness and focus.

He smoothed his shirt down and walked to the edge of the bed, looking down at Mitchie's face.

His heart started racing.

She was so pale, it was almost frightening. Beads of sweat clung to her forehead and Shane fought back the sudden urge to yell for help.

Mitchie looked so fragile; like a china doll laid out and forgotten about.

Shane sighed and reached out to gently brush her hair back from her face.

"Wake up Mitchie," He pleaded, his voice almost breaking. "Please wake up."

He clutched her hand tightly, careful not to move any tubes that were attached to it.

She was so cold.

Shane rubbed her hand soothingly, trying to get some heat back into her body.

"Come on, Mitchie. You've got to wake up," Shane kept repeating over and over, willing her with his mind to open her eyes.

But Mitchie remained just as pale and lifeless as she had been earlier.

The machines continued to beep steadily.

Shane found it unnerving, the way Mitchie's life was so reliant on technology.

What if something were to happen?

What if the electricity failed? What if the machines stopped working?

What would happen then?

Shane squeezed Mitchie's hand tighter, willing himself not to think about it.

"Sorry, visiting hours are over," A voice called from the door.

Shane looked up to see a nurse in a white coat gesturing for him to leave.

"But I've only had a few minutes with her," Shane said indignantly.

"Sorry Mr. Gray, it's hospital policies."

Shane sighed exasperatedly.

"Fine," He muttered.

He bent down to kiss Mitchie's cheek.

"Get better soon," He whispered in her ear. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Shane knew that Mitchie was unconscious, that she probably couldn't hear what he said, but he didn't care.

There was no way he was leaving without saying goodbye.

He squeezed her hand one last time, and was almost sure he felt her squeeze it back.

Shane smiled.

"Mr. Gray, I'm afraid you're going to have to leave."

Shane rolled his eyes, and let the nurse lead him towards the door.

* * *

Tess heard the door creak open and sighed, still half asleep.

"David," She said drowsily. "I told you to go away."

There was no reply.

Tess rolled over, pulling the blankets up over her head.

She could hear slow footsteps walking over to the bed.

"David," Tess muttered blearily, flinging the sheet off of her and struggling to sit up.

But it wasn't David.

Tess gasped at the figure standing in front of her.

Goose bumps crawled along her arms as her surprise turned to fear.

"Hello Tess," her father said with a soft smile.

* * *

**_A/N: So there you go! Another cliffie for you! XD_**

**_Hoped this chapter didn't suck?_ ; )_  
_**

**_Mitchie lives! Right, where's my cookies?! :D Haha!  
_**

**_Now, I want to wish you all a very M E R R Y X M A S! :D _**

**_This chapter is my Christmas present to you! A huge thank you from me, for sticking with me all of this time!  
_**

**_You guys are wonderful! Hope you have an awesome day today!_**

**_And best wishes for 2009!_**

**_PS: A review would make this christmas extra special for me, it's nice to know that you guys are still here and are still enjoying the story!_**

**: )  
**

**_Much love and hugs!_**

**_Kacee  
_**


	15. Darkness

_**A/N: Wow, long time no see! I'm so sorry for the long wait, it's been over a month, I know =(**_

_**Thanks for reviewing the last chapter, everyone.**_

**_You are all awesome, as always! _**

_**Here's the next chapter =) Hopefully it makes up for everything ;)**_

* * *

Tess shrank back behind the thin white sheet, watching her father walk slowly towards her.

"Dad?" She whispered nervously.

The second she said it aloud, that word she despised so much, a shudder ran down her spine.

"Hi Tess," Her father said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

Tess folded her arms across her chest and looked up at the man in front of her, suddenly angry.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded.

"What do you mean?" He asked, raising his eyebrows in genuine surprise. "I got a phone call saying you were in hospital, Tess. I came as quickly as I could."

"I don't want you here."

A tense silence hovered over the room.

Tess's father shifted his feet awkwardly on the spot, and Tess made a point of staring firmly at the opposite wall.

"Look Tess," Her father sighed. "I know that things have happened between us in the past, and I haven't been the best father to you, but-"

"Just leave, Michael," Tess said firmly.

Tess's father flinched at the use of his first name, but remained where he was.

"Not until you tell me what happened to you."

When Tess didn't reply, he gestured impatiently towards her legs which lay still and unmoving beneath the sheet.

"Tess, answer me," Michael ordered. "I'm your father for gods sakes! I need to know. The doctor told me you had a bad fall at that camp you go to every year. Is that true?"

Tess continued to glare at the white hospital wall.

_Why couldn't he just hurry up and leave?_

Her father sighed.

"Your mother wanted me to tell you that she's on her way here to see you. But maybe I'll just tell her not to come, since you don't want to talk to anyone."

Tess frowned.

_Her mother was coming?_

_That was interesting._

_What happened to being 'too busy' to come and see her paralysed daughter in hospital?_

"You can't ignore me forever Tess," Michael said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Frustration laced his voice, and his fists were clenched tightly by his sides.

Tess could tell that her father was getting madder by the second, and the initial fear she had felt when first seeing Michael in her hospital room returned.

Her voice quivered slightly as she spoke.

"I'd leave if I were you. The police will be here soon."

Michael's eyes snapped open wide.

"What? Why? What have you told them?"

A satisfied pang filled Tess's stomach as she detected the panic in her fathers voice.

He was frightened.

Now she was in complete control.

She listened calmly as her father lowered his voice to a threatening whisper, cautious not to be overheard.

"If you've told them _anything_ about what happened between us, I will-"

"You'll what, Dad? Hurt me?"Tess smirked and rolled over to face her father.

The caring attitude he had displayed for his daughter a minute ago had vanished.

His face was now an unnatural shade of red, and he stepped closer to Tess with a menacing leer.

"You're lucky we're in a public place at the moment, or else-"

"You're not in a position to make threats here, Michael," Tess interrupted harshly. "If you so much as touch me, I will tell the police _everything."_

Michael's defiance evaporated instantly. A defeated expression crossed his face, and he stepped backwards in surrender.

"Tess, it was _one time."_

He was almost whispering now, and his voice had taken on a pleading tone.

"It was a mistake. I was mad, I'd had too much to drink…"

"I don't want to hear your excuses," Tess told him bitterly.

That night was something that had never been mentioned in their household again.

Tess wanted nothing more than to erase the memories from her mind; but they were still too fresh, still too painful to be forgotten.

Every time she saw her Dad after what he'd done to her, she'd cringe; the memories hitting her like a slap across the face.

Tess squeezed her eyes shut and leant back against her pillow, wanting nothing more than to sink into the safety of her unconscious.

"Tess?" Her father whispered beseechingly. "You won't tell the police, will you?"

There was a long silence.

"Tess, please.."

"Just leave," Tess muttered tiredly.

Michael bit his lip, knowing that arguing with his daughter wouldn't do any good.

"I'll be back later then," He promised.

The careful threat lingered in the air as Tess's father turned away and slipped noiselessly from the room.

* * *

"Hey Jase," Nate muttered as he walked through the cabin door.

Jason hurriedly threw the cell phone he was holding beneath a pillow, and began whistling what he hoped was an innocent tune.

Nate didn't buy it.

He looked up at Jason suspiciously.

"Who was that?"

"Who was who? I didn't see anyone."

"On the phone."

"What phone? I didn't see a phone."

"You just shoved it under that pillow!" Nate cried, beginning to get frustrated.

"What pillow? I didn't see a p-"

"Jason!" Nate shouted angrily. "Just shut up, alright? I'm not in the mood to play games. Who was on the phone?"

Jason stood there nervously.

"Um.. It was my sister."

A long silence followed.

Nate glared at Jason with narrowed eyes.

"But you don't have a sister."

"Yeah, well.. Neither do you!"

"I never said I did."

Jason sighed.

"Fine. It was Emma."

Nate froze.

"You talked to Emma?" He said nervously.

Jason nodded.

"Why? What'd she say? You didn't tell her about.." Nate drifted off into an awkward silence. "About.. You know?"

Jason frowned in confusion.

"About what?"

Nate shook his head in disbelief.

Maybe Jason was as clueless as he appeared.

"Never mind," Nate told him. "Why did she ring?"

Jason moaned.

"Oh, Nate.. I'm not supposed to tell. She said she wanted it to be a surprise!"

"Jason, you know I hate surprises."

Jason looked apologetically at Nate.

"I know, but-"

"Jason," Nate said tiredly, advancing towards his friend. "Just spit it out."

Jason looked guiltily around the room, expecting to see Emma leap out from behind a curtain.

He knew she wouldn't be happy if she found out that he had told Nate the surprise, when she'd made him promise on his grave that he wouldn't.

Uh-Oh.

He had promised on his grave.

Jason gulped, feeling beads of sweat beginning to appear on his forehead.

"Uhh.."

"Jason!"

Nate was impatient to see what the big secret was, and the way he was scowling at Jason now showed that he was nearing the end of his tether.

"Oh, fine," Jason relented grumpily. "Emma told me that she wanted to send you a surprise because she misses you and hasn't seen you in ages.."

"So she's sending me a present?"

Jason looked uncomfortable.

"Well, yeah. In a way.."

"What is it?" Nate asked suspiciously, although he had a feeling he already knew.

Jason took a deep breath before answering.

"She's coming to Camp Rock."

* * *

"Dad?" David cried in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

Michael looked over his shoulder and grinned.

"David!"

The father and son walked towards each other and grasped hands enthusiastically.

"It's been too long!"

"Yeah, it has," David agreed, his voice warm. "So how've you been?"

"Not bad, son. And you?"

David hesitated for a moment.

"I've been all right. Everything that's happened recently with Tess has been quite a drama. Did she tell you what happened?"

Michael sighed in frustration at the mention of his daughter.

"She refused to talk to me."

"Oh," David murmured, nodding sadly. "She said that you two had a falling out."

"Did she?"

"Yeah. I got the feeling that she didn't think you would come to see her, actually."

Michael smirked, remembering the look of surprise on his daughters face when she had first seen him.

"So what's all this business at Camp Rock, then?"

David sighed and began to tell him everything. Michael listened patiently to his son, his frown becoming more pronounced as the tale went on.

When David had finished, they both stood in silence for a moment, thinking the events over.

"So that's why the police are coming?" Michael finally asked, his voice slightly sceptical. "To interview Tess about the incident?"

David nodded.

"They should be here soon."

Michael ran his hands through his hair and breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Right. So who are these kids then? That pushed her over the cliff?"

David rattled of a list of names.

"Shane Gray…" Michael muttered to himself. "Wait. The pop star Shane Gray?"

David nodded. "The one and only."

"You mean he was one of the idiots that helped paralyse my daughter?" Michael scowled. "We'll sue him."

He bit his lip grimly for a moment, letting everything that David had told him run through his mind.

"It sounds like him and this Millie girl were the ringleaders of it all.."

"Mitchie," David corrected. "But the police won't be able to get a confession out of her."

"Why not?" Michael demanded. "They're the police, for gods sakes. They should be able to get a confession out of anyone! What is she, 15? 16?"

"Yeah, but that's not the problem." David looked around warily and lowered his voice to a loud whisper.

"The nurse told me that Mitchie's in a coma, in a serious condition in some other part of the hospital. She has some type of illness apparently, I forgot the name… But she's on life support at the moment, so I doubt the Police will get to interview her until she's taken off of that and regains consciousness."

Michael looked stunned.

He seemed to stutter for a moment before finding the right words.

"She's in a coma? What? How?"

David opened his mouth to answer, but Michael held up his hand to silence him.

"Never mind. I'll talk to the police later, see if it's worth hiring lawyers and going to court over." His eyes narrowed and he turned to stare at the hospital doors, daring the group of teenagers who had paralysed his daughter to walk out.

He scowled angrily.

"Those kids are going to pay for what they did to my daughter."

* * *

Shane walked through the door to his cabin, where he knew Nate and Jason were staying while they were at Camp Rock.

"Nate? Jason?" He called tiredly into the darkness as he switched on the light.

There was no reply.

Shane frowned.

_Where could they be?_

He had left the hospital for the night to have a decent sleep and fill everyone in on how Mitchie and Tess were doing.

But the cabin was clearly empty.

Shane sighed, almost too exhausted to care.

"Shane?" A surprised voice called.

Shane looked over his shoulder, and saw Jason standing in the doorway.

"Oh, there you are, Jase. I'm back for the night." He grinned sadly. "I need a good sleep after those waiting room couches at the hospital. Hey, where is everyone?"

Jason bit his lip nervously. "Um, well most people are in their cabins. It's after 10pm, so I think they're all in bed. How's Mitchie? And Tess?"

"I haven't seen Tess, but apparently she's doing alright. Her brother came and visited her, so at least she has company…"

"Oh, ok. And Mitchie?"

"She's still on Life Support," Shane admitted sadly. "But the doctors think she'll regain consciousness within a few days, so I guess that's something."

Jason nodded, and there was a short silence.

Shane looked around his cabin while Jason watched him awkwardly.

"Where's Nate?" Shane asked.

Jason gulped.

"Um… I dunno."

"Jason.." Shane said warningly.

"Uhh, ok. Well, we had a bit of a… fight."

"What?" Shane cried. "You and Nate? Why?"

Jason looked guilty.

"Well, Emma rang.. And she wanted to talk to me about something, and she said that I couldn't tell Nate.. But Nate knew I was hiding something, and he kind of forced it out of me.. And then he got mad.."

"What was the secret?"

"That Emma's coming to Camp Rock."

Shane raised his eyebrows, looking puzzled.

"Nate got mad at you because his girlfriend's coming to visit? That doesn't make sense."

"Nate cheated on her with Caitlyn," Jason replied without thinking.

He gasped and covered his mouth, looking at Shane guiltily.

"Oops…" He mumbled, blushing a deep shade of beetroot. "I wasn't supposed to say that. Can we start this conversation again?"

"He cheated on her with Caitlyn?!" Shane shouted.

"Shhh! Not so loud!" Jason whispered. "But yeah, and then he felt bad for Emma, so he told Caitlyn that he didn't want her, and then Caitlyn got all depressed, and then he felt bad for Caitlyn."

Shane was looking shocked. He rubbed his temple and winced, feeling as though his head was about to explode.

"Where is he now?"

Jason shrugged.

"I don't know. He started yelling at me and then he took off outside. That was an hour ago, and I tried to look for him, but it got too dark so I had to come back."

Shane groaned.

"Oh God. Did you check in Caitlyn's cabin?"

Jason nodded solemnly.

"He's not there. But she wouldn't let me in. I think she's really upset, Shane. She hasn't been coming to meals, so I don't think she's been eating. And she won't talk to anyone, or let anyone in to see her. I don't know what to do…"

Shane frowned worriedly.

"That's not good." He ran a hand tiredly through his hair. "Geeze, Nate's really made a mess of everything, hasn't he?"

* * *

The figure crept noiselessly down the hospital corridor, stopping outside room 439.

He looked carefully from side to side, making sure he was alone.

The door swung open without a sound and the figure stepped inside, his heart beating fervently in his chest.

Through the darkness, he could just make out the pale outline of a body on the bed, hooked up to what seemed to be a million machines and wires.

Mitchie Torres.

The man checked his watch.

11:36PM.

He was supposed to be in and out by midnight.

That gave him twenty minutes, but hopefully he wouldn't need that long.

A loud beep shattered the silence, and the man jumped in fright.

"Stupid machines," He muttered angrily as he waited for his heart to calm down and start beating normally.

Just beside the bed was a large machine which had wires and tubes sticking out of it at every possible angle.

Now, he wasn't a hospital expert, but he assumed by the noises it was making and the digital display across the screen that it was Mitchie's life support.

The machine that was responsible for her breathing.

He smiled grimly.

_Not for long._

As he approached it, his eyes drifted to the girl who lay silently in the hospital bed, unable to defend herself.

And he felt a pang of guilt for what he was about to do.

But there was no backing out now.

With one quick movement, the figure reached out and yanked the plug which connected the life support to the electricity supply from its socket.

The lights of the machine went out instantly; it appeared to die in mid beep.

Beside him, he could hear the girl shudder for breath.

Before his conscience could kick in, the man spun on his heel and raced from the room, leaving the girl alone and helpless in the darkness…

* * *

**_A/N: So there we are... A bit more drama for you all ;)_**

**_I want your guesses:  
WHO DO YOU THINK PULLED THE PLUG ON MITCHIES LIFE SUPPORT?_**

**_I hope you guys are still here?_**

**_I know it's been such a long time since I updated, and I feel really bad cause I actually missed you all so much!_**

**_Hope that chapter was OK, I haven't written in ages, so sorry if it's a bit rusty! XD_**

**_Thanks to the people who kept bugging me to update! Honestly, it helps me so much when people PM me telling me to get my arse into gear ;)_**

**_And I hope you all had a great new year, and are having a good 2009 so far?_**

**_Please review =D ?_**

**_One more time, a big sorry from me, hopefully you guys can forgive me?_**

**_Big hugs,_**

**_Kacee_**


	16. She Deserved It

**_

* * *

_**

A/N: OMG, I have missed you all so much!

**_And I'm really sorry for the long wait. =(_**

**_Hopefully you all haven't forgotten about me and this story!_**

**_Here's Chapter 16. =D_**

* * *

Shane hesitated in front of Caitlyn's cabin.

It was just after midnight.

Maybe barging inside and demanding to know where Nate was wasn't the best idea.

Caitlyn was bound to be asleep, and it was pretty unlikely that Nate would be in there anyway.

Shane sighed in resignation, shoving his hands in his pockets.

What was he supposed to do now?

Just as he was contemplating returning to his own cabin, a strange sound came from the darkness.

Goosebumps prickled his neck.

_Someone was crying._

Shane moved noiselessly towards Caitlyn's cabin door and knocked softly.

"Caitlyn?" He murmured, his voice soft with concern. "Are you ok?"

Shane tried the door.

It was locked.

Another sob filled the air, and Shane's knocking become more urgent.

"Caitlyn! Open the door."

There was a brief silence in which Shane debated whether or not to bust down the door himself, when the knob finally twisted.

The door creaked open to reveal a shaking figure gazing up at him.

Her brown hair was cut short, falling in limp curls to her chin.

She was running her hands through it nervously.

Crying.

Barely a shadow of her former self.

It took Shane a second to recognise her.

"Caitlyn?" He gasped, staring at the slight girl in disbelief. "What happened to you?"

Caitlyn bit her lip and looked away, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" She choked out. "I thought you were at the hospital with Mitchie."

"Yeah, I was. I came back to get some sleep."

Shane reached out gently to touch one of the curls that lay against Caitlyn's cheek.

"You cut your hair."

There was a forlorn silence before Caitlyn nodded.

"Why?" Shane asked, watching her critically.

She seemed so unlike herself; her usual smile and vibrant personality had vanished.

The way she shrugged her shoulders made her seem almost nonchalant, but the red-rimmed eyes and tear stained cheeks gave her away.

"Caitlyn," Shane whispered. "What have you done to yourself?"

He was almost afraid to touch her in case she might crumble into a million pieces.

As if to echo this, Caitlyn moaned suddenly and Shane watched with concern as her face drained of what little colour there was left.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, his eyebrow creased with worry. "Are you OK?"

When she looked as though she was about to pass out, he grabbed her arm and led her firmly over to the bed inside the cabin.

"You need help, Caitlyn. I'm calling a doctor."

"No," She mumbled, her eyes strangely wild in a face devoid of all emotion.

"Yes. Lie down, alright?"

Once Shane had made sure she was warm and covered with a blanket, he made his way to the door.

"Stay there, and don't move until I come back with someone, OK?"

He flew down the steps without waiting for a reply and disappeared into the night.

* * *

"Now, what's been bothering you lad?" Brown asked with a calculating look.

Nate squirmed under his scrutiny, clearly uncomfortable.

"It's complicated."

"You can tell me."

"I don't know if I can."

Brown frowned.

"Look, I don't know what's up with you Nate, but I know it's not like you to be pacing around outside in the middle of the night. And before you come up with some ridiculous excuse, let me tell you that you're not the only one around here who's been acting strangely. Have you been talking to Caitlyn lately?"

Nate gulped.

But before he could reply, Brown continued, looking suddenly thoughtful.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with your girlfriend coming to visit soon, would it?"

Nate's mouth fell open, and Brown couldn't resist a chuckle at the horrified look on the Connect Three members face.

"Who told you about Emma coming?" Nate asked, his voice dripping with suspicion.

"Jason."

A groan escaped Nate's lips.

"Figures. He's probably told half the Camp by now."

Brown's eyebrow creased in confusion.

"So all this worrying is because of Emma, then? You're worried about your girlfriend coming to see you?"

"Well, yeah.. I guess."

"Why?"

There was a tense silence.

"Me and Caitlyn-"

Nate paused in frustration, unable to find the right words.

"We kind of.. Umm.."

"Nate."

Brown's voice was firm.

"It's well after midnight. Are you going to tell me what the trouble is, or are we going to sit here procrastinating for the rest of the night?"

Nate fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, trying to think of a good reply.

Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the ring of the telephone.

Brown glanced at his watch and cursed under his breath.

"Why the hell is someone calling at this hour?"

He picked up the phone, looking at Nate in exasperation and covering the receiver.

"Hold on a second lad, this won't be a minute."

* * *

Shane knocked hurriedly at his Uncle Brown's door, and waited impatiently for him to open it.

It was now nearing 1AM.

Caitlyn had been alone in her cabin for over 15 minutes, and Shane couldn't help feeling nervous.

There was no doubt in his mind that she was emotionally unstable, and there was no telling what she would do if left to her own devices for too long.

But what was he supposed to do?

It was far too late to call the doctor, it wasn't serious enough to take her to the hospital, Nate was missing and Jason was sleeping, so he couldn't ask for their advice…

Suddenly the door swung inwards, and Shane looked up, expecting to see his uncle.

"Shane?!" Nate gasped.

"Nate?!"

There was a stunned silence.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were at the hospital with Mitchie."

"What are _you _doing here?! I've been looking for you everywhere, man. Jason said you guys had a fight and-"

"Yeah," Nate bit his lip, looking guilty.

When he saw Shane's questioning glance, he continued. "I kinda went off at him when I found out that he invited Emma to Camp Rock…"

"After you cheated on her with Caitlyn."

Shane's statement was bland, yet it hit Nate like a slap in the face.

"No, dude, it wasn't like that, ok? Me and Caitlyn were just-"

"Just what? Mucking around?"

"No! We just.. I dunno," Nate finished lamely. "It wasn't meant to happen."

"Yeah, well whatever. You need to go see her."

"Who?"

"Caitlyn!"

Nate sighed.

"I.. I've tried, but.. She just.. She doesn't want to talk to me."

"Well make her talk to you! She's not well, Nate."

When Shane met Nate's gaze his eyes were deadly serious.

"And, I mean _really _not well."

"What? She's sick?"

"No. Look, you just…" Shane winced. "You need to see it for yourself."

Nate felt his stomach clench into a knot.

"Where is she?"

"In her cabin. I think we should call a doctor or something in the morning."

Nate paled and nodded.

"OK. I'll go see her."

He swept passed Shane and down the steps, but stopped suddenly and turned around.

"Oh, Shane?" He called suddenly. "Brown's on the phone, but he should be done in a second. Could you thank him for me?"

"Uhh.. Yeah, sure."

"Thanks."

Nate picked up the pace, his worry for Caitlyn making his heart thump loudly in his chest.

Shane watched his band mate vanish around the corner, and gratefully stepped into the warmth of his Uncle's cabin.

He was not at all prepared for what happened next.

* * *

"We'll be there as soon as possible, Connie. Thanks for calling."

Shane entered the room just as Brown was wrapping up his phone conversation.

"Hi Uncle Brown."

"Shane! This is a surprise. It's after 1AM. What brings you here?"

Despite his cheery manner, Shane could tell instantly that there was something bothering his Uncle.

"What's wrong?" He asked nervously.

Brown dropped the vibrant front. He frowned sadly and strolled over to his nephew.

"That was Connie on the phone. There's been some trouble at the hospital."

"What? When?"

"This-"

"Is it Mitchie?" Shane interrupted, unable to keep his steadily increasing heart rate under control. "Is she OK?"

"Well.." Brown hesitated and gave Shane's shoulder a sympathetic squeeze.

"I'm gonna go down there now. A nurse just discovered that.. Mitchie's life support was unplugged."

* * *

She deserved it.

There was no use in pretending anymore.

Everything that had happened was all her fault.

Caitlyn eyed the razor gripped tightly in her hand.

The shiny blades made her feel dizzy, but she knew that she had to it.

In one quick flash she brought the razor down on her wrist, sinking to the ground and weeping as she felt the sharp pain.

She deserved it.

The blood now covering her hand brought her a kind of sick pleasure.

A release from it all.

She swiped the blade slowly across her skin again, thriving in the agony that she knew she had brought upon herself, yet despairing in the fact that it might never be able to end.

* * *

**_A/N: So it's getting quite dark, and still full of soap opera like drama =)_**

**_If any of you missed Tess, you'll be pleased to know she will be in the next chapter ;)_**

**_Once again, I'm really sorry about how long this took. _**

**_For the last few months I've been getting really bad migraines, and if you've ever had them, you'll know how difficult it is to concentrate and do anything productive._**

**_But I really missed FanFiction (Sorry if I haven't been reviewing your stories like I usually do, I'll have to catch up) and I'm glad to be back :)_**

**_Hopefully you guys are still here with me and it'll make me feel so much better if you click that pretty little review button below._**

**_Cookies for everyone, hopefully it'll make up for everything! ;)_**

**_My apologies... =(_**

**_Lots of hugs,_**

**_Kacee_**

**_xoo_**


	17. Invisible

**_A/N: Next chapter for you!_**

**_Refresh of what happened in the last chapter for those of you who have forgotten:_**

**Mitchie's life support plug was pulled.**

**Nate got in a fight with Jason because his girlfriend Emma is coming to Camp Rock.**

**Shane returned to Camp, to find the whole place in upheaval.**

**He discovered Caitlyn, went to find help.**

**Caitlyn cut herself *Gasp***

**Sorry if the last chapter was a bit gruesome for any of you! Thanks to my wonderful reviewers! Hope you enjoy this one.**

* * *

Nate sucked in a deep breath and knocked on Caitlyn's door.

"Caitlyn?" He whispered nervously. "Are you in there?"

When there was no reply, he twisted the handle and stepped inside.

"Caitlyn?"

His hands were shaking.

Why was he so nervous?

He jumped as a strangled cry filled the room, and turned apprehensively to face the sound.

A gasp escaped his lips.

Lying on the floor, blood trickling from her wrist, was Caitlyn.

Her face was riddled with tears and her hair clung in short damp curls to her cheeks.

A razor was clenched tightly in her fist.

Nate swore under his breath as he ran to her side.

With one swift movement he snatched the razor from her hand and hurled it across the room, kneeling down beside her as he did so.

"Shit Caitlyn, are you crazy?" He muttered, conscious that her eyes were rolling backwards even as he spoke.

Nate picked her up off the ground, alarmed at how light she was, and placed her gently on the bed.

He scanned the room desperately for something he could use to stop the bleeding and his eyes finally settled on a bath towel lying on the floor.

With one swift movement he snatched it up and wrapped it tightly around Caitlyn's wrists, trying not to look at her face as he did so.

Nate had never seen anyone so pale in his life. Her face was an unnatural shade of ivory, and beads of sweat were covering her forehead. It was frightening. His heart was racing, accelerating at what he knew was not a healthy speed.

"Caitlyn," He murmured urgently. "Caitlyn! Can you hear me?"

She was fading in and out of consciousness, seemingly unaware of Nate's presence.

He pressed the towel more firmly against her wrist, still murmuring her name.

Within a few minutes, the blood flow had lessened considerably, and Nate noticed that Caitlyn's eyes were half-open, watching him.

"Caitlyn?"

"Nate," She whispered, her voice hoarse. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you feeling okay? Not woozy, or dizzy, or anything?" Nate asked in concern, ignoring her question.

She shook her head, but it took her a minute to gather her thoughts together. Her mind was whirling.

_Nate was here. What had she done? Nate was here._

"I'm alright. Don't.. Don't worry about me."

Nate ignored her.

"You could've killed yourself," He said sternly, surprised at the harshness in his voice. "How could you do that, Caitlyn! What the hell were you thinking?"

A tear trickled down Caitlyn's cheek. She hated it when Nate was angry.

"I wasn't.. I wasn't trying to kill myself, Nate."

Nate reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Caitlyn cried.

"Ringing Brown."

"No! Nate, don't. Please. I'm fine now. I'm sorry. I shouldn't-"

"Caitlyn, don't tell me you're fine. You need help."

"No! Please!" Caitlyn was begging now. "Please don't tell Brown. Please, Nate. You don't understand, he'll kick me out of Camp Rock, I won't be allowed to come back."

When Nate looked unconvinced, she brandished her wrist in front of his face. "Look! I'm sorry, and it's OK. I'm OK. The bleeding's stopped, the cut's not very deep, just please-"

"You don't look okay to me, Caitlyn. Have you seen yourself, lately?" His eyes travelled to the wispy ringlet that came to just below Caitlyn's chin. "Your hair."

"Huh?"

"Why did you cut it?"

Caitlyn fingered the short strand guiltily.

"I.. I don't know. I guess I just wanted a change."

After a moment's silence, Nate nodded reluctantly, placing the phone back in his pocket and sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Fine. I won't tell Brown about all this, but you've got to be honest with me. I'm going to stay here until you tell me what's been bothering you so badly that you would harm yourself over. And no lies," He added sternly. "You know you can tell me anything."

"I.. It's not something that… Nate, there's a lot of things… I don't think you'd understand."

"Try me."

Caitlyn was caught off guard by the compassion on his face. It took her a minute to speak. When she did, her voice came out in a slow monotone. "It just feels like... no one cares about me any more. No one gives a damn about stupid Caitlyn Gellar."

"Well, I agree with the stupid bit," Nate replied. "But people _do _care about you Caitlyn."

"No they don't." Caitlyn shook her head furiously. "You don't. Mitchie doesn't. No one at this stupid camp does! And no one at home does either.."

"What do you mean?" Nate asked, exasperation edging into his voice. "Of course we care about you Caitlyn!" He paused for a second before catching her eye again. "Explain yourself."

"Well.. You've been avoiding me ever since we kissed. My family are better off without me, Mitchie's in a coma, she doesn't care, and everyone's been so busy worrying about her and Tess that I just feel.. Kind of.. Invisible," She finished with a sigh.

There was a tense silence.

"Invisible? Caitlyn, that's ridiculous. People care about you. I care about you-"

Caitlyn let out a harsh laugh.

"You care about me? You don't have to lie just to make me feel better, Nate. It's okay, I know you already have a girlfriend."

Nate sighed in frustration, running a hand through his unruly curls.

"It's not like that, you know it's not. I do care about you, a lot more than you know.. But, Emma.. I don't want to hurt her."

"Do you love her?"

Nate smiled sadly.

"I like her."

"You _like_ her?"

"She's a great girl, and a good friend, but…"

"You're not in love with her," Caitlyn finished.

Nate bit his lip and nodded.

"But.. It's complicated now. She's coming to see me. Soon. She's coming to Camp Rock."

Caitlyn raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Emma? Why?"

"She's my girlfriend, Caitlyn," Nate reminded her. "I guess she misses me."

"She loves you," Caitlyn said. It was not a question; the answer was already obvious in Nate's eyes.

"She does. Too much," Nate murmured.

"That's why I don't want to… I mean, It would be so hard on her if I decided to… Let her go."

Caitlyn nodded. "I understand."

Although she didn't. She didn't understand at all. She wanted to tell him that it had been hard on her when he had let her go too, but he hadn't even seemed to care, hadn't even thought about how it was going to effect her. She had let lust get in the way of their friendship, and when everything had come crashing down on her, she had done nothing: She had wallowed in her own pity, let herself fall into a million pieces.

How could she have let that happen to herself? She was better than that. Stronger than that.

"Lust," Caitlyn thought to herself as she gazed into Nate's mellow eyes. "That's all it was. That's all it ever will be."

She let the lie sink in, feeling a slight pang in her stomach as she did so.

"How's your arm?" Nate asked, the concern in his voice making Caitlyn's heart do little pitter patters against her own will.

"It's fine," Caitlyn assured him, showing him the fine red line. "See? The bleedings stopped. I… That was stupid. I shouldn't have done that to myself. I'm sorry, Nate. You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"As long as you promise to never, ever scare me like that again," Nate whispered. "I won't tell anyone."

Caitlyn gulped, unable to stop the tear that was now rolling down her cheek.

She had scared him? Did that mean… There was still the slightest chance that he actually cared about her? Even after everything that had happened?

Nate took in Caitlyn's tears in surprise and finally gave in to his emotions, letting his instincts take over. He wrapped his arms around her frail body and pulled her close to him, holding her tightly. He shushed her sobs, stroking her hair and rocking her slowly in an attempt to comfort her.

"Do you promise?" Nate asked when she had fallen silent. He still held her close, knowing it was wrong but not wanting to let her go.

"I promise."

"Good. Please don't cry, Caity, it's over now."

Caitlyn pulled away reluctantly, shaking her head.

"I haven't told you everything."

"There's more?"

"It's… Yeah, there's more," Caitlyn admitted sadly. "It's kind of… personal, and it's something I haven't told anyone about, but if I tell you, you've got to promise not to judge me before you know the whole story. OK?"

"Is this still about me and Emma?"

"No, it's different."

"What then?"

"Wait. You haven't promised."

Nate nodded and reached for Caitlyn's hand, liking the feeling of warmth that rushed through his body.

"I promise," He said solemnly.

Caitlyn looked down at her hand held gently in his. She couldn't deny that it felt nice, to have someone who actually cared. Believe it or not, it was a rare thing in her life, and she hoped that it wasn't about to end when Nate found out the secret that she had been keeping to herself for the whole time at Camp Rock.

* * *

"How are you feeling, Tess? How did physio go?"

"It was horrible," Tess wined, struggling to pull her body into a sitting position so David could have a seat on the bed.

"It's not helping at all. All they do is moan about how badly I'm progressing, they're not doing anything to make my legs work again."

David frowned at this new piece of news.

"You know we could always move you to a bigger, private hospital. You'd get better care there, and then maybe you'd be more enthusiastic about your rehabilitation."

"David," Tess said grimly. "There is no possible way anybody in their right minds could be enthusiastic about rehabilitation. It's torture."

David knew his sisters paralysation was still a touchy subject, so he let the topic slide.

"Dad and I talked to a lawyer today," He said after a moment.

"Why?" Tess asked nervously, causing David to raise his eyebrows.

"Tess, what do you mean 'why?'" He replied scathingly. "Those kids pushed you off of the cliff. That's a criminal offence, attempted murder. You're paralysed from the waist down, the chances of you walking again are slim to none!" His voice rose in volume. "They deserve jail for what they did to you, and jail is exactly what they're going to get."

"But-"

"After you talked to the police," He continued, ignoring Tess's weak attempt at an interruption. "They recommended we take legal action against the Torres girl and those other kids. Our lawyer agreed. There's going to be a court case."

Tess felt suddenly nauseous.

A court case? Was he serious?

Panic rose up in her throat.

How had this escalated so quickly?

When she had told David that her falling over the cliff hadn't been an accident, it had just been a way to save her own skin; after all, Shane would have mentioned to somebody eventually that it was _her, _Tess Tyler, that was going to push Mitchie over the cliff.

He had known that that was her intention. She knew he had. Why else would he refuse all of her offers and pleas to come and visit her in hospital? What else could he have thought when he had returned to the clearing to find Mitchie gone, and eventually discovered her, unconscious, by the cliff side?

Tess shuddered.

If the truth ever got out, it would be headline news. And of course, she wasn't going to let that happen. It would ruin her mothers career, hell, it would even ruin her own future singing career.

She ignored the little voice in her head that asked scathingly 'What future singing career?'

"Tess?" David's anxious voice interrupted her silent rambling.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay with that?"

"With what?"

"The court case," David replied as though it was obvious.

"Oh."

She bit her lip for a moment.

There was going to be media attention around her whether she liked it or not: if she hadn't said anything, Shane would have gone to the police about what she had been about to do to Mitchie. But she had said something, she reminded herself sternly, and it was too late to take it back now. She was in far too deep. And besides, if there was going to be a media frenzy over 'TJ Tyler's daughter', it may as well be in sympathy with her.

Attempted Murder On Pop Star's Daughter: Tess Tyler Left Paralysed And Abandoned At Cliff Side

Tess grinned to herself, imagining the worldwide headlines and finding herself liking the concept.

She nodded her acceptance to David, resigned to the fact that she had left herself with no other options.

"Good," David said, patting Tess's hand happily. "There's just one thing."

"What?" Tess asked, suddenly wary.

"We don't have any witnesses. The lawyer said it's basically your word against those kids, and there's five of them, and only one of you," David pointed out, causing Tess to frown.

"That could be a problem."

"But not if we find a witness."

"There was no one else there," Tess informed him bluntly. "You said yourself that there were no witnesses, we can't just make one appear out of thin air."

"Dad and I have done a bit of research on that Connect Three band," David said with a smile. "I think we've got a plan." He paused for a moment before continuing. "What's Jason like?"

Tess hesitated.

"He's… Different. Nothing like Nate or Shane," She said with a quiet laugh, her voice lingering slightly longer than needed on Shane's name.

"Would you say he's particularly intelligent?" David probed.

Tess looked at David in surprise.

"I don't get where this is going."

"Just answer the question."

"Well, no, not intelligent. He's kind of, gullible," She replied. "And immature for his age."

David was nodding eagerly.

"That's what we've heard. Don't you realize, Tess? We could use him. This could work to our advantage."

* * *

Shane sat restlessly in the hospital waiting room, desperate to see Mitchie. After the early morning phone call, he and his Uncle had rushed down to the hospital, afraid of what they would find. For over four hours now they had sat in the hospital waiting room, keeping a distraught Connie and Steve company as they waited for news on Mitchie's condition.

The doctors had skimmed around the details of how Mitchie's life support had come to be unplugged, and offered nothing more than 'There's been no change' and 'We're still running tests'.

It made Shane furious.

He was sick of being lied to, being told that they were doing everything that they possibly could.

All he wanted was to see her, to see Mitchie and to apologize for being a jerk, for the stupid way he had acted all those days ago when Tess had exposed her lie to the campers. It seemed so insignificant now, after everything that had happened. And it had been. It was stupid of him to react the way he had, for what had come of it? Mitchie in a coma in the hospital, that's what.

Shane shook his head, disgusted with himself.

He wanted nothing more than to hold Mitchie's hand in his one last time, to apologize, and whisper a goodbye to her before it was too late. Was that too much to ask?

At that very moment, a nurse in a white coat walked into the waiting room. His heart almost exploded in his chest. "You're Mitchie Torres family?" She asked politely. "We've finished running tests, you may go and see her now."

"Is she-?"

"She's doing okay," The nurse assured Connie in response to her question, and all of the occupants of the room stood stunned. "She regained consciousness about an hour ago."

"She's not in a coma anymore?" Shane cried in relief. The nurse nodded, smiling at the tears of joy that were now running down Connies cheeks.

"Hypoxia can be fatal," She warned them cautiously. "The lack of oxygen supply to the blood stream is extremely dangerous, which is why the doctors didn't think that Mitchie was quite ready to come off life support. But you must have one determined daughter, Mrs Torres," She said kindly. "It was clear from the beginning that she wasn't going to go down without a fight."

She stopped for a moment, her face turning serious. "But you must understand that coming out of a coma can be very traumatic, and Mitchie is still displaying symptoms of Hypoxia; lapsing in and out of consciousness, fatigue, shortness of breath, that type of thing. But it's nothing to worry about," She reassured the rooms freshly worried occupants. "The doctor's have it all under control. Once we have the results of the tests back, we can tell you for sure what the long term diagnosis will be."

"She's okay," Connie whispered joyously to herself through her tears. She turned to her husband in relief, letting herself sink into his arms. "She's going to be okay."

"The doctors expect that she will make a full recovery," The nurse affirmed.

"Can we see her?" Shane asked excitedly. "Is she awake?"

"She's awake," She nodded. "She's been asking about all of you."

"Family first," Brown reminded Shane, earning an approving smile from the nurse and a sullen glare from his nephew.

"Right," Shane muttered. "Family first."

* * *

"Caity, you can tell me. I promise I won't hate you for it, whatever it is. You haven't murdered anyone, have you?" Nate asked with a cheeky smile.

Caitlyn slapped Nate's arm crossly, but was unable to stop the tiny smirk that crept across her face. "Nate, be serious. Do you want to know or not?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Nate said, relenting. "Continue."

Caitlyn took a deep breath, trying to tie her thought's together before she began her story. It would be just like her to have everything come out in a huge jumbled mess.

"I live with my grandmother," Caitlyn began carefully. "My parents died when I was younger, and after a lot of debate my Grandmother reluctantly agreed to take Alana and I in."

"Alana?" Nate asked curiously. "Who-?"

"My sister."

"I never knew you had a sister."

Caitlyn nodded.

"We're twins, but we're not very close," She admitted with a sigh. "That's why I don't tell people about her; we don't exactly see eye to eye about things."

Nate raised his eyebrows and nodded, and Caitlyn took this as her signal to continue.

"My Grandmother always made me feel as though I was… Not as good as Alana. Alana was always the perfect twin," She told him, unable to hide the envy from her voice. "But she was always horrible to me, and it only made things worse when her and Grandmother became very close. She get's everything she wants, and she does her best to make sure that I miss out."

"She sounds like Tess Tyler," Nate laughed and Caitlyn nodded in agreement.

"Alana convinced Grandmother that music was not a 'healthy career option' for me." Caitlyn said the words scathingly. "She locked all of my music equipment, my laptop, everything, away-"

"Are you serious?" Nate interrupted loudly. "She actually went that far?"

"She knows that music was the only thing keeping me going. I kind of lost myself in it after my parents died, and she knew that she could really hurt me by taking the only thing out of my life that I still loved. I know it sounds crazy, and I don't care if you don't believe me Nate," Caitlyn said. "But it's true."

"I believe you," Nate replied, and the honesty was plain in his voice. "I just don't see how anyone could be so mean. Especially your own sister… Why didn't your Grandmother stop her?"

"Because she agrees that being a music producer isn't a good career for me, and she thinks she's doing what's best," Caitlyn fumed angrily. "But she's just as bad as my sister, and she's probably disowned me now anyway, so I suppose it doesn't matter."

Nate looked stunned.

"Disowned you? But.. She sent you to Camp Rock, didn't she? She can't hate you that much, and hate music that much, considering how much money it costs to come here."

Caitlyn laughed bitterly.

"She didn't send me here."

"Oh. Then who did?"

Caitlyn smiled sadly.

"I did."

"You did?" Nate frowned in confusion. "How?"

"I won a scholarship. I ran away, Nate," Caitlyn whispered. "My Gran doesn't know I'm here."

* * *

**A/N: VOTE!**

**Emma will be arriving at Camp Rock next chapter.**

**DO YOU WANT NAITLYN OR NEMMA?**

**In other words, SHOULD NATE BREAK UP WITH EMMA?**

**Let me know in a review: YES OR NO. =)**

**To those who usually review, but didn't review ****the last chapter, I really missed you, and I hope you're still here?**

**Hope you guys are all doing well anyway, and I hope you liked this chapter.**

**Also: How do you feel about SMITCHIE in the next chapter?**

**By the way, have you heard about the Camp Rock Awards? Nominations close June 5th. You can go to my profile for a link if you want to be involved.**

**(PS: I'm not trying to tell you to vote for me. There are so many people who have amazing stories, a lot of my reviewers are really talented writers, and it's nice for them to get recognition for their work. So if you have a favourite story, you can nominate it there. I think the Awards are a really nice idea, and there are some truly fantastic stories up for nomination. Good luck to everybody)**

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**As always, I look forward to hearing from you!**

**Reviews make me SMILE :)**

**Hugs,**

**Kace**


	18. If Only You Knew

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A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews! Enjoy the next chapter :)

* * *

"You ran away?" Nate gasped, staring at Caitlyn in wide mouthed surprise. "Why?"

"Nate." Caitlyn looked up at him in frustration. "I've just told you the story, haven't I? Do I need to repeat myself again? Alana and-"

"Oh. Right. Sorry." He frowned for a moment. "It just seems so unlike you."

"If only you knew," Caitlyn smiled sadly.

"So, nobody knows? I mean, like-"

"I left them a note. Alana and my Grandmother," she added when Nate looked confused. "I told them I was leaving. I'm fifteen, that's old enough to look after myself anyway. I doubt they'll come looking for me."

"But surely they're worried?" Nate probed. "It's been weeks since you left, how do they know if you're okay or not?"

Caitlyn shrugged. "They won't care. Trust me, it's better this way. Alana hates me with a vengeance; she always has and she always will. She was probably jumping up and down with glee when she read the note that I left them, saying I had left. If I ever went back there, she'd just make life even more of a misery for me." She laughed bitterly, and Nate squeezed her hand tighter. "At least now I can actually have a life. You have no idea how it feels to be kept under supersonic radar all the time."

"I'm sure it couldn't have been that bad."

"It was."

The honesty shone defiantly in her eyes, making Nate shudder with sympathy. He snuggled a bit closer to her, still watching her intently. "Does Brown know?"

"No one at Camp knows. Except for you," she said, eyeing him sternly. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"Not if you don't want me to."

"I don't want you to."

"Then your secret is safe with me," Nate grinned. He glanced at his watch and muttered a curse under his breath. "Shit, I've got to go. Emma will be here in an hour."

Caitlyn raised her eyebrows. "But it's only five in the morning. What is she-"

"Her flight lands at six thirty, I have to pick her up from the airport."

"Oh." Caitlyn pursed her lips together. "Can I come with you?"

Nate looked suspicious.

"Why?"

"I want to meet her."

"Are you sure you feel up to it?" Nate asked hesitantly, unwinding his hand from Caitlyn's and standing up from the bed. "You still don't look very good."

Caitlyn flushed. She knew she probably looked terrible. The last time she had seen her reflection in the mirror she had barely recognised herself; her newly short hair, the dark circles plaguing her eyelids, pale skin, emotionless expression, everything... It had not been a pretty sight. Inwardly she knew she was still not completely back to normal either, but the turmoil of her mind was nowhere near strong enough to stop her from wanting to meet Emma.

"I feel just fine," she lied, biting her tongue.

"Really? How's your ankle?" Nate questioned, still wary. Why did he have the feeling that bringing Caitlyn with him was not such a great idea?

"It's okay," she replied, looking down at the cast covering her foot as she did so.

It was another lie, of course; her ankle hurt like hell. But Nate didn't need to know that.

"Well, I guess you could come with me," he sighed after a moment. "Are you _sure_ you feel up to it?"

Caitlyn nodded firmly, and Nate reluctantly helped her up from the bed. "And do you promise that you'll be good?"

"Of course," Caitlyn assured him, her eyes shining indignantly. "I'm _always _good."

* * *

"Jason! Just the man I wanted to see," David cried, strolling over to the Connect Three member who was standing alone in the hospital cafeteria. They clasped hands and Jason grinned, having no idea who the man was but being far too polite to ask.

"I was wondering if you could do me a favour," David said, his eyes locking on to Jason's persuasively.

"A favour?" Jason repeated. "Sure, um, what is it?

David launched into a tale about Tess and how she had been asking insistantly about Connect Three. "She's just dying for an autograph, and since you're her favourite band member Jason, she would _love _if you could come and visit her in her hospital room, maybe get a photo, have a quick chat, that sort of thing. What do you think?"

Jason blinked in confusion. "You know Tess?"

David looked stunned for a moment before letting out a throaty chuckle. "So sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Tess is my little sister," he said, eyes shining. "I'm David Tyler."

"Oh. I'm Jason Green," Jason replied happily, reaching out to re-shake David's hand. David forced a smile and removed his hand quickly from Jason's grip.

"So what do you think?"

"About what?"

"About visiting Tess!" David cried, trying not to let his temper get the better of him.

"Oh," Jason breathed. "Well yeah, I guess I could. But-"

"Great!" David boomed, clapping Jason on the back . "Excellent. Well, how about now?"

"Actually I'm just waiting for-"

David interrupted by flinging his arm around Jason's shoulders and leading him down the hospital corridor.

"She'll be so pleased."

Jason nodded in agreement, looking slightly uneasy.

Uh-Oh.

He was about to visit Tess Tyler. Why did he have the feeling that this was not such a good idea?

* * *

"Tessie, darling!" a voice cooed from the darkness.

Tess felt her eyelids flicker open.

Suddenly a bright flash lit the room, making her groan and cover her face with her hands.

"Tessie," the same voice said, and this time Tess felt a warm hand on her arm. "Did you miss me?"

That voice. She knew that voice.

Tess forced herself to open her eyes again. She inhaled deeply as a strong wiff of perfume caught her senses.

"Mother?" she murmured blearily as TJ Tyler's face came into view.

TJ beamed and whirled around to face the gaggle of photographers and reporters that waited eagerly behind her. "Take a photo of me and my daughter together," she instructed importantly, snuggling in beside Tess and pulling her best depressed face. "I expect this story to be on the front page tomorrow," she ordered a man in the corner that Tess recognised as her mothers publicist. He nodded and lapsed into a deep conversation with the woman next to him.

Tess blinked in confusion as another flash went off. "What-?"

"Sorry it took me so long to get here, sweetheart," TJ apologised, though her voice showed no sincerity at all. "I had a very important event to attend, and then I couldn't get a direct flight here, they tried to put me in business class," she scorned, admiring the large diamond on her finger. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm-"

"I spoke to your father and brother earlier," Tess's mother continued without waiting for an answer. "They seem to think we're going to have a court case about all this."

"Well, I don't think-"

"I think it's a good idea. It's not like we need the money, but what those kids did to you was atrocious! Pushing you over a cliff, I've never heard of such behaviour. It'll teach them a lesson, and I guess you can never be too rich, either," she laughed.

"Can we ask your daughter a few questions, Mrs. Tyler?" a reporter cried, moving forward. Tess frowned indignantly when her mother nodded her approval. Did Tess's own consent not even matter?

"Go ahead," TJ said, stepping away as the bunch of people surged forward to surround her daughter.

"What were you thinking when you first regained consciousness?"

"How bad were your injuries?"

"How long did it take for you to be rescued?"

"Will you ever go back to Camp Rock?

Tess narrowed her eyes. "What are all these people doing here?" she asked her mother heatedly, ignoring the reporter's questions.

"Why, they're getting your side of the story, darling! It'll be in all the papers tomorrow, it's good press for the court case."

"I don't want them here," Tess sulked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Make them leave."

Her mother frowned. "Now, Tessie, that's not very nice. These people are on our side. Don't you want-"

Suddenly there was a shout from one of the reporters and the crowd spun around, the room erupting in fresh flashes of light from the cameras.

Jason stood in the doorway, his mouth open wide with surprise as the reporters proceeded to bombard him with questions

Before he had a chance to object, David pushed him gently into the room.

"Ah, Jason!" TJ cried gleefully. "We've been waiting for you to arrive! Everyone, this is Jason. I'm sure you know him from the band Connect 3? Well, he's a witness to my daughter's accident, and he's offered to testify against the teenagers who pushed her over the cliff."

Jason's mouth dropped open in astonishment as the camera flashes went off in another frenzy.

* * *

"You can go in now, dear," Connie told Shane as she stepped outside Mitchie's hospital room door.

Her face was streaked with tears, happy tears, at finally being able to speak to her daughter and hold her in her arms again. Seeing her eyes wide open and blinking, hearing her sweet voice, everything felt like a miracle after she had been trapped in a deep coma for days. Even the mere thought of her daughter made her smile and she squeezed Shane's hand comfortingly. "She's been asking about you."

"Really?" Shane asked, his heart pumping furiously with adrenaline. He stood up from his seemingly nonchalant position against the corridor wall, lost in thought.

Mitchie.

It felt like forever since he had last seen her. "How is she?" he questioned anxiously.

"Well, she's very drowsy at the moment. The doctors said it's all the medication, and of course the fact that she's just emerged from a coma. It can have some... side effects," Connie finished, trailing off into silence. But before Shane could ask anymore questions, she gestured towards the doorway, indicating he should go inside.

When Shane stepped into the room he didn't notice any of the surroundings; not the view, nor the huge assortment of flowers and cards, nothing. All he had eyes for was Mitchie.

She was propped upright in bed, her eyes fixed expectantly on the doorway. Her face was still a chalky shade of porcelain and her usually lustrous hair lay lank and knotted to just below her shoulders, having not been brushed for days. But despite her stricken appearance, Shane felt a pang of longing in his stomach when his eyes met hers. Mitchie's eyes seemed to light up too, contrasting strongly with the dark circles etched beneath them. Shane walked over to the bed, suddenly nervous.

_What if she hated him?_

He sat down on the edge of the bed, his eyes never leaving hers.

There was a soft silence.

"I'm glad you're awake," he said finally.

"Me too," Mitchie whispered gratefully. "Shane, thank you. For everything." She seemed to take a lot of time forming her words and her voice sounded raw and hoarse, but Shane still thought it was the sweetest thing he had ever heard. "Mum told me what happened; she said that you were the one that found me. Shane...I...I don't know how I can ever repay you. I'd probably be dead now if it weren't for you."

"Don't say that," Shane told her gently. "You don't have to repay me for anything, I'm just glad you're okay. Besides, I wasn't much of a hero in the end, I got us both lost."

Mitchie laughed, a quiet tinkling laugh, and Shane couldn't help but smile. "So how are you feeling?" he asked after a contented silence, scrutinising her closely for the first time.

She looked even worse up close.

Her skin had a faint bluish tinge to it, and her forehead was dampened with tiny beads of sweat. He instinctively moved a little closer to her, waiting for her answer.

"I don't really know," Mitchie admitted slowly. "I.. Kind of numb, I guess."

Shane nodded understandingly. "You've been in a coma for days, so I'm sure that's to be expected. What was it like?" he asked suddenly. "To be in a coma? Can you remember it?"

Mitchie closed her eyes for a moment and leant back against the head rest before opening them again. "I... There's not much that I can remember," she murmured. Her eyes began to well up with tears and Shane felt his breath catch in his throat.

She was crying.

"Please don't cry, Mitchie," he whispered tenderly, moving even closer towards her as the first tear overflowed and raced down her cheek.

She reached out for his embrace like a small child would reach for their father, and Shane obeyed, wrapping his arms around her gently and holding her close.

"Shhh..." he hushed her sobs, rocking her backwards and forth in a soothing motion.

They stayed locked together like that for a long time.

Mitchie kept her face buried in Shane's shoulder, liking the feeling of him stroking her hair and rubbing her back in small comforting circles that only he could make feel so good.

When they finally broke apart Shane kept hold of her hand, and they began to delve deeper into conversation.

They were clearly comfortable in each others company, their voices rising and descending in sweet crescendos.

But Mitchie could tell by the expression on Shane's face that there were still things he wasn't telling her.

"Shane?" she asked finally. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Nothing," he assured her, squeezing her hand tightly.

But it was a lie.

They both knew it.

There were so many things that Shane was too afraid to tell her, too afraid to ask.

He didn't want to upset her again.

"Shane, just say it," Mitchie told him firmly. "I can handle it."

"I... I was just wondering..." he trailed off into silence, only to be prompted to continue by a nod from Mitchie. "About...Tess," he admitted.

"Tess?" Mitchie asked, a hazy image of the blonde diva of Camp Rock forming in her mind. "What about her?"

"About what she did to you... What she was going to do...."

Mitchie furrowed her eyebrows in obvious confusion and Shane hastened to explain.

"When... I found you in the forest. And Tess... She took you to... to the cliffside," he said, biting his lip as he uttered the final word. "I was just wondering... What happened?"

Mitchie frowned, struggling to conjure the memory to her mind. "She took me to the cliffside? Why?"

"I don't know," Shane said, his voice edged with frustration. "I was hoping you could tell me."

"Shane... I don't remember."

"You don't remember the cliffside?"

"No, I don't," she admitted, a frustrated tear threatening to work her way down her cheek again. "I'm sorry. It's hard, and it's... it's not just that, Shane. I don't remember... anything. I can't remember anything after running into the forest."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading!**

**Righto, this is what I want to know: Do you want to find out what Tess's dad did to her in the next chapter?**

**Or should it be dragged out a bit longer?**

**What do you think? I'm leaving this up to you, so please let me know =)**

**Free cyber cookie if you review! I love hearing your guys opinions ;)**

**Hugs,  
Kace**

**PS: The extremely talented .ConverseWithMyDress. and I have started a new story together! She's an amazing writer, so please go check it out, it's called Paranoid. (It's on my page under my stories) Here's the summary:**

_Is Mitchie really seeing faces in the darkness or is she just being paranoid? When everything begins to spiral out of control will her friends believe her? Or will it already be too late? SMITCHIE, NAITLYN._

_**Please and thank you :)**_

_**Hope you're doing well, love you all!**_

**_X_**


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